


Runaway

by hoverboarddinosaur



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Dancer! Mikasa, F/F, Fighting, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Smart! Annie, mentions of abuse, non-binary Hange
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2018-08-27 19:08:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8413231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoverboarddinosaur/pseuds/hoverboarddinosaur
Summary: Runaway. That's what Mikasa Ackerman has always been, since her parents were murdered and she was kidnapped. Struggling to make money and keep up her dancing skills, Mikasa finds that the perfect way to keep her fit and fed is by joining a fight club that pays $50 for each won fight. However, her only obstacle is Annie Leonhardt, a ferocious fighter who has her own reasons for fighting. However, when they learn of each other's intentions, it changes their lives- and the fight club- forever.





	1. Prologue

Ropes chafed Mikasa's skin, digging into her wrists in a way that would probably leave long-lasting marks. A gag in her mouth did the same to her cheeks and the inside of her lips.

Mikasa didn't notice. Her gray eyes stared at the wooden floor beneath her, not really taking in the scenery- or anything, for that matter. She simply stared and stared, because that was all she could do. Not that she really wanted to do anything. It was all pointless, seeing as she was going to die very soon. 

She was going to die. She'd decided on it. Even if the men who were holding her captive didn't kill her, her parents were dead, which meant she was going to die, too. There was just no conceivable way for her to live without her mother and father by her side. To Mikasa, the idea was insane, foreign, and horrifying, and she'd rather die than attempt to come up with a way to make that idea a reality.

Thus, she stared at the floor and listened to the men outside the door as she waited for death.

"You didn't have to kill the lady," one of them said. "She would've sold for much more than the little punk."

Sold? Mikasa thought.

"I couldn't 'elp it!" another man said, and Mikasa felt a pang in her stomach as he spoke. He was the one who had stabbed her mother. "If she'd kept on fightin', we wouldn't 'ave gotten neither of 'em!"

The first man scoffed. "Whatever. If she doesn't sell for at least $1,000, you're in big trouble."

Mikasa suddenly realized what they were talking about. They were going to sell her to someone, like on of the slaves in her history book! That, she was not okay with. They could kill her if they wanted, but she refused to be beneficial to the people that had slaughtered her own parents. She began to look around for a way to get out and die on her own.

She suddenly noticed the wooden wall behind her. She remembered watching a movie once where someone rubbed something against some wood, and it caught on fire. Maybe if I rub the rope against the wall, she thought, it'll burn up, and I'll be free.

The little girl began to rub her wrists as fast as she could against the wall. She winced a bit as the rotating rope rubbed back and forth against her skin, scraping it, but she didn't stop. She needed to get free.

Of course, the rope didn't burn, as much as Mikasa tried. However, one particularly violent rub caught the rope on a nail, and with the next movement, the nail ripped the rope off of her wrists. It all fell onto the ground, and it took all of Mikasa's strength not to topple over.

Mikasa only took a moment to stare at her red, scraped, but free wrists. She untied her legs and then her gag, taking a deep breath as she no longer had to breather through her nose which was stuffy from crying. She gasped and panted for a minute, before she got to her next task: escaping.

She didn't put too much planning into it. The nine-year-old began to walk towards the door, limping slightly due to her sore ankles. Her plan was to make a run for the woods. Either the men would kill her on her way out, or she'd run into the woods and find another way to get killed. It was a win either way.

With a deep breath, she twisted the doorknob and opened the door, coming face-to-face with the two men.

"What are you doing up, rat?" said the Father-kiler. He took a swing at her, but she ducked low and ran.

"I swear to God, if she gets away!" Father-killer shouted, running after Mikasa as she ran through her living room. She slipped in a pool of blood, yelped, and got up. The men were getting closer.

"Don't worry, I got this!" Mother-killer said. He picked up his knife from a table. Mikasa looked back at him for just a moment as he ran at her with a knife.

It was still covered in her mother's blood.

In that moment, instinct kicked in. She could've let them kill her, but seeing the last remnants of her mother made her want to live. She refused to be slaughtered by the last bits of her mother. She kicked Mother-killer with all the force a (rather strong) nine-year-old could muster. He howled and stumbled back a bit, and Mikasa ran as fast as she possibly could.

They probably chased her out of the house, but Mikasa didn't notice or care. She ran as fast as she could from the only house she'd ever known, and by the time she thought to look back, she couldn't see it at all. It was gone.

She stumbled through the woods for hours. She saw several places where she could kill herself, but she didn't use them. Now that her house was far away and stained with blood and painful memories, all she had to remember her parents by were.... well, her memories. If she died, her parents, and everything about her old life- the pancakes her father made her, her dance classes, her mother's embroidery, their garden- would die along with her. She refused to let that happen.

She walked and walked, never stopping to rest, eat, or cry, until she found herself on a sidewalk in what she recognized as her neighboring town.

What now? Mikasa thought. She couldn't keep walking- she was too tired. She didn't know anyone in the town that she could stay with. She supposed she'd have to take a taxi somewhere- maybe Portland. She didn't know anything about the town, except her dad had once worked there. In any other situation, she would've been excited; she'd never been to Portland, or ridden in a taxi.

The raven-haired girl waited for 30 minutes for a taxi, doing absent-minded relevés, pliés, and tondues. She wondered if there was any way for her to still take dance classes, or if she'd have to practice and learn on her own. For the moment, though, absent-minded exercises were all that she had.

Finally, she saw a green taxi, turn onto the street. She waved for it nonchalantly, but inside, she was begging for it to pull over. Luckily, it did, and the driver rolled down the window. She was a rather short, young woman with glasses, platinum-blonde hair, and an austere expression.

"Hello, " she said. "Got money for the ride?"

Mikasa shook her head: her throat was too dry to really speak.

The driver sighed. "Fine, I'll give you a free ride, but just today," she said. "The name's Rico. Where to?"

Mikasa cleared her throat. "Portland. Uh... Main Street of Portland," she squeaked out.

Rico nodded. "Get in."

She did, and Rico began to drive. Mikasa had no idea where she'd go once she was in Portland, but the important thing was, she wasn't going home.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa hates her birth certificate.

Mikasa had never been a huge fan of numbers, what with their annoying decimals and having to multiply and divide them and that they were sometimes less than zero. However, she particularly hated the numbers that sat on the table in front of her, next to her face and her name.

"February 10th, 1999?" Hannes, the owner of Garrison Girls, shouted. "You're 17?"

"Sir, I know you're upset, but-" Mikasa began.

"No 'buts!' I can't have you shaking your ass and whatnot in front of a bunch of horny 40-something men while you're still a minor! I'll get arrested for child pornography and God knows what else!"

Mikasa sighed, and for a moment, the office of Garrison Girls was silent, aside from the muffled, thumping dubstep music outside the door. She should've been out there, extending her legs and twirling around for the male 'visitors,' but no, Hannes just had to find her birth certificate today..... How would she get money now?

"So, what do you want to do about it, sir?" Mikasa asked, maintaining a calm face despite her hand shaking in anxiety and fury.

Hannes looked at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud. He leaned forward as he smacked his knee, so Mikasa could smell all the alcohol in his breath. "I'm going to fire you, of course!"

Mikasa tensed up a bit at the thought. "Sir, please, don't."

"Well, what the hell else am I supposed to do? Wave a magic wand and have you turn 18?"

"Please, I need this job."

"So do it! I got 20 other strippers who need salaries- and, more importantly, I need my own money! I won't risk this whole joint just so that you can get a few dollars thrown at you!"

"You don't understand. Before you gave me this job, I was living in the streets, eating one meal a day, tops. My income came from my occasional street-dancing tips. You've given me food, money, and a way for me to keep my dance skills up. Don't take that away from me."

Hannes sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about tis. The customers really do love you, and I don't want you to starve or anything, but I gotta do this. As for the dancing thing..... You're a great dancer and all, but if what you just said is all true, then I think it's probably time to let your dream of being a.... prima ballerina or whatever, die."

"Bullshit," Mikasa said under her breath. She hadn't spent long days as a ten-year-old break-dancing her ass off in 30-degree weather just so she could quit dancing.

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing, sir."

"Uh, well, anyway, you're fired, kid. Sorry. Come back when you're eighteen, I guess?"

"Sure," Mikasa said though she didn't mean it. With her lifestyle, she could be halfway to Japan by the time she turned 18. "Thanks for the opportunities, I guess."

She didn't look Hannes in the eye as she walked out of the door and into the club, her eardrums nearly bursting at the sound of the deafeningly-loud music and the cheers of drunken men. Mikasa ignored it all and stormed for the door of Garrison's Girls, not looking back until she was stopped by a familiar brunette.

"Where you going, Mikasa?" Sasha said, smiling. She was wearing just her bra and some jeans, and had a wet lollipop in her hand.

"I got fired," Mikasa said blankly.

"Oh." Sasha's face fell. "Well.... bye then, I guess. Keep dancing."

"Bye. And I will."

"Hey, if you need a job, go to Shinganshina, 'kay? My mom used to take me there to eat, and the restaurants always needed help."

"Good. Thanks."

With that, Mikasa really did walk out the door. Now she felt more melancholy than angry because she remembered that she was leaving her only friend (sparing a rather angry cousin from her past) behind.

Mikasa walked for 3 minutes straight (or was it 30?), silently and absent-mindedly, before she stopped staring at the ground and realized that she was in the middle of nowhere, without any money, and rather cold.

It occurred to her for a moment that, perhaps, a plan would be a good thing to have. However, she shook the idea out of her head when she remembered the last time she'd had a 'plan,' when she was 13- she had nearly ended up in Juvenile Hall.

No, Mikasa had survived for eight years without a plan, and she wasn't going to start planning now. She would just find another job, eventually get fired, and then move onto the next one. That was how she'd ended up in New Jersey, across the country from her birthplace (or so she thought. She hadn't studied geography in 8 years). Maybe she'd go to the next town, Shinganshina, like Sasha had suggested. If that didn't work out, she'd just start up street-dancing again.

With a sigh and a shiver, Mikasa began to walk on the dark pavement, this time heading towards Shinganshina. She only had a very vague idea of where Shinganshina was and what she'd do there, but it didn't really matter. All she wanted was, for some reason, to keep living in the cruel world that was hers, and to find a way to keep on dancing.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa finds a fight club to 'work' at. She gets introduced to the rather strange staff, and meets one somewhat remarkable girl....

Shinganshina's Main Street was rather plentiful. Several restaurants, shops, and offices decorated the road, and people threw out and dropped enough food for Mikasa to feast on for a week.

However, a week's worth of food was hardly enough. Mikasa needed money, exercise, and a bit of warmth. She couldn't beg like she used to- she wasn't cute enough anymore. She could street-dance, but that didn't really provide warmth, or much money. Indeed, finding something that gave all three of those things Mikasa would not be easy.

Yet, she managed to find it all at Kenny's Fight Klub.

She had just been loitering on the street without much to do, pacing slowly and observing signs on windows. Most bragged about specials, sales, and life-changing processes, but Kenny's Fight Klub's sign really caught her eye, just as the shouts and laughter coming from within caught her ear.

'KICK BUTT AND MAKE MONEY! $50 FOR EVERY FIGHT WON!' the poster in the window announced.

That was quite possibly the most easy money-maker Mikasa had ever come across. Sure, she'd never had any formal martial-arts training, but when one lives on the streets, one must turn to fight for one's food and blankets. She'd been winning fights against grown men since she was 9. Plus, it was good exercise.

She pushed open the door and the shouting grew louder as warm air blasted in her face. Mikasa took a moment to allow the warmth to embrace her and flush her cheeks red, then began to approach the bar. She took a seat, and within moments, a black-haired bartender approached her. He looked somewhat familiar, if only because he was so similar to Mikasa. He had her hair, her dull expression, and her pale skin. The only differences were that he was much shorter, and more cleanly.

The bartender seemed to notice their difference in hygiene, and made a slightly disgusted. "Do you have an ID,kid?" he asked, getting back to cleaning an already sparkling glass.

"I'm not looking for a drink. I just want some money." The bartender nodded, and somehow, he seemed even more familiar. "Do I know you?"

"Doubt it," the bartender said, still cleaning the glass.

"Well, you do probably want to know my name. I'm Mikasa Ackerman."

The bartender stopped cleaning and looked up, his eyes wide. They were grey like Mikasa's. However, he just said, "I'm Levi, and I definitely don't know you. How do you plan on making this money."

Levi. The name sounded familiar, too, but she chose to ignore it. "I want to fight."

"Sure."

Mikasa blinked. "It's just that easy?"

Levi shrugged. "There's not much more to it. You make money, I make money, and the audience gets dinner and a show."

"Okay." She liked that Levi didn't beat around the bush.

"Unfortunately, there's only an hour before fights start, so I should introduce you to the necessary staff quickly. Connie, take over."

A bald boy ran to the bar, and Levi and Mikasa began to walk down the bar's long hallway.

They were silent as the passed bathrooms and staff lounges. Mikasa hated small talk and enjoyed silence, but Levi's silent was almost scary. "So.... is this place yours?" she asked.

Levi shook his head. "It's my Uncle Kenny's. He's just a bum, so I run the place."

"Oh."

They were silent yet again, but luckily, they arrived at the back room. Levi opened the door and aid, "This is where the fights happen."

The room had several chairs surrounding a small ring. The chairs were mostly empty, aside from a blonde boy who sat there reading a book. "Arlert!" Levi barked.

The boy sat up quickly, shutting his book with a clap! "Sorry! J-j-just, the law school e-e-entrance exam is i-i-i-in 3 days, a-and-"

"Maybe you'd be a better referee if you'd stop studying so much," Levi grumbled. "Oh, yeah, Armin Arlert here is our referee. He's hear to make sure that the fight starts on time, count how many second someone's on the ground, and make sure that you don't get too beat up. If you do, though.... well, just follow me."

Mikasa followed Levi back to the bar, where a brown-haired, tall man was sitting. "Oi," Levi said.

The man turned around, and both he and Levi smiled a bit. "Hey, Levi, what's up?"

"This is Mikasa," Levi said, gesturing to Mikasa, who nodded. "Mikasa, this is Dr. Eren Jaeger. e'll help you if you get too much of the shit beaten out of you. He can basically resurrect the dead."

Eren blushed. "Stop it, Levi. I'm not even a doctor. I just have a First Aid Kit and some basic knowledge."

Levi scoffed. "Basic knowledge my ass. You know everything you need to know, if only because of your old man. Anyway...." He turned to Mikasa. "He'll always be ready to fix you up."

"That is, if Hanji doesn't come," Eren grumbled.

"Hanji?" Mikasa asked.

"They're this mega-fan of the fights. They always sit too close and end up getting hurt. Watch out for them, okay?"

"And watch out for your opponent," Levi added, "because if you lose your first fight, you're out."

 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mikasa's first opponent was a rather tall, dirty-blonde with a horse-like face. He looked over her greedily as she stepped into the ring. The hunger in his eyes reminded her of the men at Garrison's Girls.

"I'm Jean," he said with a grin. "You're pretty cute, so I'll go easy on you, okay, sweetheart?"

Mikasa rolled her eyes.

Armin then blew the whistle, and without hesitation, Mikasa swung her (pointed) foot around. It hit Jean in the face, and as he collapsed, his flailing arms knocked into a glasses-clad person that Mikasa assumed was Hanji. He was on the ground for 1,2, 3, 4, and finally, 5, seconds.

"We h-h-have a w-winner!" Admin announced. Everyone cheered and clapped, while some shouted and raised beers.

I didn't even have to flex my foot, Mikasa thought. "Thanks for going easy on me," she said to Jean, though he was too fazed to reply. She walked back to the edge of the ring, where Levi was.

"Not bad, little champion, you just won $50 bucks-although, Eren has a lot of work to do on the horse and Hanji," he said. "Who do you want to fight next?"

Mikasa could swear she'd heard 'little champion' somewhere, too, but she scanned the wall where the other fighters were lined up. One blonde girl caught her eye. She was short, and her hair was in a messy bun and fell over one grey eye. She seemed uninterested in the crowd, similar to Mikasa, but she did seem rather interested in the elastic around the ring.

"I'll fight her," Mikasa said, pointing to the girl without hesitation. "That's Annie Leonhardt," Levi said. "She's won all 3 of her last fights, so I wouldn't suggest it."

"I said, I'll fight her," Mikasa said again. She was still staring at the girl-Annie.

Levi sighed, but went to retrieve Annie.

Before long, they were both in the ring, preparing to fight. Annie stood in what Mikasa was pretty sure was not a traditional position. Her grey eyes stared at Mikasa the same she'd stared at the ring earlier, which brought Mikasa to the realization that she didn't like being stared at like an inanimate object, especially not by cute girls. The ravenette decided to stare back. For the first time in years, Mikasa was focused on something other than dance- and, unlike when she danced, she wasn't just going through the motions.

Armin blew his whistle, and before Mikasa could blink, she felt a fist on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I just want to clarify that the abuse tags in the tags are from Annie's father. Annie and Mikasa will not abuse each other at all, outside of the fights.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally published Chapter 4 early! Please ignore that update :)

Mikasa recovered from the punch quickly. Ignoring the pain vibrating through her pain and the audiences 'oooohs,' she swung her leg around, aiming for Annie's face. The blonde ducked and grabbed Mikasa's leg, then slammed it onto the ground.

Mikasa was unfazed. She threw a punch at Annie's chest, knocking the wind out of her. However, Annie only stopped for a moment before ducking down and ferociously elbowing her opponent in the guy. Mikasa grunted in pain. 

"Getting tired?" Annie asked. It actually sounded like a question, not a taunt.

Mikasa chuckled a bit as she tried to kick Annie in the shins. She missed. "Trust me, I NEVER get tired."

"Hmm.

Those were the last words exchanged for quite a while. Annie and Mikasa both attempted to kick each other, which resulted in the two of their feet smacking together. Mikasa didn't feel much of anything, but Annie stumbled back.

Mikasa used this opportunity to kick Annie in the back. Annie yelped and the crowd gasped. A few people cried, "Kill her, Annie!"

It didn't seem that Annie disagreed with that idea. Her cold, grey eyes narrowed as she glared at Mikasa, and before the ravenette knew what was going on, Annie pushed her with furious force.

Mikasa fell into the net, and used it to spring herself at Annie. She pushed the smaller girl over.

The audience's jaws fell as she collapsed the ground for 5 seconds.

"Winner!" Armin exclaimed. Half the crowd booed, calling Mikasa a whore and cheater. The other half was cheering and chanting 'rookie' over and over. Hanji was about to have a conniption, screaming and flailing their arms, and Armin just shook a bit.

Annie lay on the ground for a few more seconds, catching her breath. She then hoisted herself up, glaring at Mikasa the whole while. Mikasa felt extremely hot with those eyes on her, but at the same time, she felt chills.

"Bitch," Annie hissed as she dusted herself off. "You used your Intertia against me. Pick on someone your own size."

Mikasa could only stare in silence. She had no idea what Inertia meant or why a girl her age would use it, but the word sounded very natural on Annie's tongue.

Then, Annie began to approach Mikasa. She kicked her in the shins and walked off.

/ / / / / / / / / / / 

The rest of the night went rather well for Mikasa. Levi, Eren and Armin congratulated her, and she ate her first full meal in a week- a soup Eren had made while reprimanding her about the myriad injuries she'd given Jean. She didn't listen to a word, and actually felt comfortable.

However, every now and then, her eyes would shift towards Annie. She was sitting rather calmly at the bar, a few seats away. She was staring down at something, but she seemed calm- too calm, considering that she may never get more fight money.

After a few glances, Mikasa realized that Annie was looking down at a rather thick book titled 'Number Theory.' It looked heavy and it had no doubt been expensive. Perhapse that's why she needed the fight money- these books. Mikasa suddenly felt a bit guilty.

"So, can she still fight?" Mikasa asked, interrupting Eren.

"Who?" Levi asked.

"Annie."

"Oh, yeah. You have to lost as many fights as you've won in order to get kicked out."

"You sure have a lot of rules."

"I like organization. There's nothing wrong with that. Anyway, if she was disqualified, she'd probably try again. She's driven for money."

"Why? For those books?"

"Nah. I asked her that same thing once and she said, 'Not your business, but my school provides these.'"

"Then why? She seems well-fed and stuff."

They both glanced at Annie, who's long nose was buried deep in her book, her eyes dashing from page to page to her notes. 

"Just because she doesn't have a physical need doesn't mean she doesn't have a mental one, Mikasa."

Mikasa couldn't quite understand that. She'd spent every penny she'd ever gotten on survival-that and dance. Dance was different though. It kept her warm, got her money, and most importantly, it was a beautiful way to keep her old life alive.

She wondered what money-taking thing could have that significance to Annie.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa and Annie fight and bicker.

The next day, it was Annie who chose to fight Mikasa. She asked Levi almost the second the fights started. Levi was fine with it, and the crowd (particularly Hanji) was pleased. Even Eren, who had to tell them not to hit in a way or in places that could cause serious damage ("It's not life-or-death, so don't fight like it is."), seemed secretly excited to see them fight again.

They warmed up on the sighed. Annie doing pushups while Mikasa stretched her limbs, while the crowd shouted vulgar encouragements. Eren attempted to shout back at them for a few moments, but Levi pulled him aside and told him to 'leave the customers alone.' He reluctantly obeyed, and the shouts continued.

"Bash 'er head in, Annie!"

"Kick her to the roof, rookie!"

"Hit her with all you goy!

"Jump on her and break her back!"

"Snap 'er neck!"

"Rip her skin off!"

"Kill her!"

"Destroy her!"

Finally, Armin immediately silenced the crowd by putting a hand up and saying, "Th-the fight begins in 3, 2, 1! Fight-ah!"

Armin shrieked as Annie stumbled back in his direction, grabbing her stomach from a sudden kick. The blonde growled, but before reacting, Mikasa sent another (pointed) foot at Annie's head. This one, however, Annie easily caught, her hand fitting like a puzzle piece in Mikasa's arched foot.

"Pointed foot?" Annie said, raising an eyebrow, then scoffing. "What are you, a little fucking ballerina?" She threw Mikasa's foot to the ground.

Mikasa flinched from the shocks running up her legs. "Well, yeah, actually," she hissed.

"A ballerina who can fight," Annie dodged one of Mikasa's punches (though it did lightly knock her cheek), then looked her over. "Interesting. Though it's obviously weakened you."

"My legs could kick your ass." With that, the raven-haired girl wacked her leg into Annie's soft rear end. This pushed her all the way onto the side of the ring, and the audience burst out laughing.

"Very funny." She ran at Mikasa and punched her in the gut. She yelped and grimaced, then scowled at Annie- if looks could kill.

"At least I'm not as weird as you. What kind of nerd studies after getting their ass beat?" Mikasa punctuated the sentence by elbowing Annie in the breast. The blonde hissed with the audience, making Mikasa smirk. 

"None of your fucking business. It's not like a bunhead like you would understand anyway," Annie said, then scowled and sloppily aimed a punch at Mikasa's face. She missed.

"You say, while wearing a bun. Now I'm serious," Mikasa said, face austere. "Why. Were. You. Studying?" Each word was emphasized with a kick on Annie's shin, and the audience cheered while Annie grimaced.

"Leave me alone," Annie said. She charged at Mikasa and then kicked her squarely in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and pushing her back a little bit.

"Hey, would you bitches shut up for a minute and fight?" a guy in the audience shouted.

"Yeah, I payed for a bitch-fight, not this dramatic shit!"

Pretty soon, the whole audience was chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" while Mikasa and Annie sort of stared at them.

Hanji actually seemed to disagree. They were facing the audience, waving their arms back and forth and shouting, "No! This is interesting! Shut up!"

However, the crowd continued to demand a 'bitch fight,' and finally, Annie turned back to Mikasa.

"Lets give these guys what they want."

Instantly, Annie reached around and fiercely pulled Mikasa's hair. The crowd burst out in cheers and claps as she yelped and Annie kicked her to the ground. She kept her foot on Mikasa's back to the full five seconds.

"Champion!" Armin shouted as the audience whooped and clapped. He held up Annie's hand, but the blonde just stared at Mikasa.

She glared into Annie's eyes for a moment before looking away out of shame.. There goes tonight's $50, she thought. Not to mention that one more loss means I'm out of the game forever.

Mikasa sort of just lay there as the crowd continued to cheer. She was tired, and maybe if she laid there long enough, Eren would bring her some soup and pain meds and Levi would call her 'little champion,' though she lost. Mostly, she just wanted to sink into the floor, to never open her eyes and view the cruel world again....

The cheering died down and Mikasa heard a faint 'get off me' that awakened her from her trance. Annie had ripped her arm away from Armin, and she walked a few steps, bent down, and outstretched an arm towards Mikasa.

Mikasa eyeballed it. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping you up, idiot."

"Oh."

The raven-haired girl hesitated a moment before putting her hand in Annie's. It was warm, and became nearly feverish as Annie tightened her fingers. Then, she pulled Mikasa up with suprising ease.

"C'mon, let's grab a drink," Annie said. "Let's find out how weird you really are."

"A drink? Like, alcoholic?"

"But I'm only 17."

"So am I, but I once took 25 shots in 60 seconds. And I can tell you've done some other shit no one our age should."

Mikasa scowled. "How would you know?"

"Your eyes look like mine," Annie said with a shrug, though it was the strangest thing Mikasa had ever heard. "Now seriously, come get a drink with me. I might tell you about my studying if you tell me about being a fighting ballerina."


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa and Annie grab a drink and try to grab at each other's personal lives.

"Are you sure we should drink?" Mikasa asked, raising an eyebrow as she sat on a barstool next to Annie. "We might be too hungover to fight tomorrow."

Annie lifted her eyebrows and look at Mikasa with dismay. "You sound like Eren." Then, she rolled her eyes up to the top of her head and in a slightly higher voice said, "'Don't drink alcohol! Stay healthy! Get strong!,' yadayadayada." She went back to her normal voice. "He acts like we're fucking four. It's annoying."

"Ha. Don't tell Levi that," Mikasa said.

The corner of Annie's lip twitched. "So you've noticed, too."

Mikasa nodded.

They were silent until the bartender--a short, bald man-- came up to them. "Hi! I'm Connie. And what can I get you lovely ladiessss?" He extended the 's' like a snake, and wiggled his eyebrows like so. Mikasa almost snorted.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Just two beers. And some pretzels."

"Two beers? For ladies?"

"Yeah, for ladies who can kick your ass six ways and sideways, so move."

Connie's eyes widened and he nodded quickly, then rapidly moved to get their drinks. 

"So, you promised to tell me why you were studying," Mikasa said.

"First, you have to tell me about being a fighting ballerina."

"Why do you care?"

"Because it's a strange concept that I want to understand, and I need to know what I'm up against, too. Why do you care?"

Mikasa furrowed her brow for a moment. She'd been intrigued by Annie from the start, but she couldn't exactly pinpoint why.... she'd just never seen such a, truthfully, hot girl before, and one who could fight, yet was so small and short!

"Same reason, I suppose," she said with a shrug. 

Annie nodded. "Well, I study because I want to go to a good college, and my only chances are the money from these fights, and a scholarship."

"Why? Won't your parents pay for it?"

Annie scowled. "Not everyone's parents are rich as fuck, or even care about their kids."

"You're lucky to have parents."

"Not really. If my mom were still around, things would be different, but now.... I think I'd rather have none at all.

The idea have wanting to not have parents was ridiculous to Mikasa, but so was everything about this girl. "Alright, sorry. Why do you want to go to college?"

"For the same reason that anyone does. I want a career.:

"I wanna dance career, but I'm not going to college."

"Well, my career makes a college education mandatory."

Mikasa didn't know what 'mandatory' meant, but assumed Annie needed college. "What career is that?"

They paused as Connie set down their beers and a bowl of large pretzels, then hurried away-only then did Mikasa realize the bar was mostly empty.

"My career is none of your business," Annie said once he left.

"You promised me information/"

"Well, I've given enough."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because fuck you, that's why."

"Is it a doctor?"

"No."

"Teacher?"

"No."

"Vet?"

"Why do you only guess Barbie doll careers?'

Mikasa rolled her eyes in order to distract from her blush, caused by remembering her old dox of 'I Can Be' Barbies. "Please, just answer/"

"No."

"Why not?"

Annie took a sip of her beet, which reminded Mikasa to do the same. She lifted the cold, wet can to her lips and took a sip. She cringed at it's bitterness and immediately reached for a pretzel to wash it down.

"We've gone full circle now," Annie said as Mikasa chewed. The blonde took another sip. "How about you tell me about you, Miss Fighting Ballerina?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"You really want to know every detail of my day-to-day life?"

"No. Start with you starting dance/"

"Well, I started hip-hop at six when I saw someone doing 'The Robot.' But I very quickly became more interested in ballet, and switched over to that at about 7. I've been doing it ever since."

Annie nodded slowly, took another sip of beer (Mikasa wondered how she stood it), and said, "Do you perform."

Mikasa nodded as well. "On sidewalks and subways."

"What about fighting? When did you start to learn about that?"

"When I was nine and I had to...fight two guys."

"I meant when you started to learn technique."

"I never did."

Annie snorted. "You're trying to tell me that you fight with no technique?"

"Yes."

"Then how do you fight?"

"Mostly using dance and instinct."

Annie grumbled something indistinctly before gulping down her last bit of beer. She then went over to the coat rack at the entrance of the bar, and put on a white coat and woolly hat. Mikasa started at them with longing eyes. Finally, the blonde made her way over to the trash can to throw out her beer.

"Where are you going?" Mikasa asked, watching as Annie preceded to walk.

Annie stopped and turned her head to glance at Mikasa. "Home."

"Why so early?"

"It's 11:30, Mikasa."

Mikasa glanced at the clock on the wall and, sure enough, it was 11:32 p.m. She'd have to go soon if she wanted to find someplace to sleep. 

"I'll go out with you," she said. She saw Annie turned red and quickly said, "Outside, I mean."

Annie nodded, still blushing a bit, and they silently left Kenny's Fight Klub. Mikasa began looking around for any good sleeping spots.

They were dead quiet the whole walk, occasionally glancing at each other's rosy faces in the cold air. It was a good thing Mikasa found a good spot quickly, because otherwise she would have missed it. Annie's rosy cheeks and nose hypnotized her, like they were a bright light and her eyes were moths, helpless to fly towards them.

After a few moments, Annie stopped abruptly and Mikasa did the same. "My car's across the street."

Mikasa nodded. She'd spotted a nice alley up ahead.

"Well...." Annie sighed. "See you tomorrow, Mikasa."

"See you, Annie."

"With any luck, it'll be our last meeting, you know, because if--when I kick your ass, it's all over."


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa meets some new people, including a new side of Annie and a green-eyed monster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dedicate this chapter to my girlfriend!!! It's her birthday today, and truly the most blessed day in history <3

"You know," Mikasa said, her hands pressed against the edge of the ring and her calfs stretched back, "if you tell me your career, I might let me win."

"Never," Annie spat back. She was stretching her arms over her head, which made it look like her arms were squeezing her eyebrows down into a scowl. "I'm going to beat you fairly, and you will never be able to even fathom my career choice."

'Fathom'--another word Mikasa didn't know. Maybe Annie wasn't as muscular or strong as she was, but she was definitely smarter.

Before Mikasa could ponder the meaning of 'fathom,' she heard a rather androgynous voice cry, "Y-you got this, Annie!"

They both turned to see two boys, one skinny and tall with black hair, the other shorter and blonde, but more muscular. They were both a lot younger-looking than the other men--18 at the oldest, 16 at youngest.

Annie groaned and slouched. "Come on, you two. I told you not to come to my fights anymore. Wasn't the first one enough?"

The blonde one laughed deeply. "Aw, don't be a bummer, Annie! We just want to see you beat each other to a pulp," he said in a voice much scarier than the tall boy.

"And be s-supportive," the tall boy added nervously, smiling weakly at Annie. Mikasa couldn't help but notice that his face seemed very punchable.

"You guys are so embarrassing," Annie grumbled.

"And who,e exactly, are we embarrassing you in front of?" the blonde one asked, but his smirk told them he already knew. He turned to smile at Mikasa. "Ah, you must be the 'intriguing dancer' Annie was talking about."

Mikasa felt her face flush, and though Annie looked down at her feet, she could see her blush as well. "Her name's Mikasa."

"I'm Reiner, Annie's friend," the blonde one said.

"Bertholdt," the tall one said quietly. Mikasa glared at him. He looked down.

"He's Annie 'friend,'" Reiner said, putting up air quotes.

Mikasa's breath hitched and looked over Bertholdt. It was pretty obvious that he liked Annie, but surely she didn't like him back, right? After all, what would a strong, confident, intelligent girl like Annie see in a guy like Bertholdt? He seemed so nervous, and pathetic, and lanky and gross. He was definitely undeserving of Annie's affections.

Mikasa's anger had to be pushed aside when she heard Armin shout, "The fight begins in 5..."

She prepped her position.

"4...."

Annie did the same, but she looked away from Mikasa.

"3...."

"Hey, Mikasa, let's put on a good show for my friends--and me."

"2....."

"What do you mean?"

"1...."

"I dare you to..."

"FIGHT!!"

 

/ / / / / / / /

The fight was over within 2 minutes, and it was mostly Annie's fault. Not that most people were complaining--everyone from Reiner to Hanji loved the surprising action.

Annie had dared Mikasa to fight the whole fight using only dance moves. Mikasa obliged and simply danced what steps she knew, but despite her lack of enthusiasm, everyone found it thrilling, including Annie. She became so dazed by Mikasa's feutés that she didn't see her foot coming to whip her face.

Once Armin declared Mikasa the winner, Annie ran off to the bathroom while Reiner sat Mikasa down to have a drink with him and Bertholdt. 

Reiner ordered them all beers (despite Mikasa's protests), and once that was over, she filled the silence by saying, "So.....sorry about kicking your friend's ass."

Bertholdt opened his mouth to say something, but Reiner said, "Eh, it's fine. Sometimes she needs someone to keep her from being to arrogant. Say, whaddya think she's doing in there? Crying?"

Bertholdt shook his head. "No, not Annie. I saw her take her book bag with her, so maybe she just wants to study in peace."

"Or she's on her period."

"No, p-probably studying."

"You know, she'd probably do better in fights if she wasn't always studying," Mikasa commented.

"Well, true, but she wouldn't be fighting i-if she didn't want to study."

Mikasa rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, she wants college and a career and all that shit."

Reiner looked surprised. "She told you about wanting to be an inventor? How did you get her to do it? Did you call her a baby?"

Mikasa answered none of the questions, and simply nodded slowly. "So that's what she wants to be."

"Ah. I see. She told you about college and stuff, but not her career."

"Yeah."

"Oh, well, you see, Annie's dad only really cares about fighting. That's how me, her, and Bert met- a children's boxing match. I don't think we'd even see each other if it weren't for that and school."

"Y-yeah, unfortunately."

"Damn right she wouldn't see you," Mikasa grumbled.

"Anyway, her dad's really abusive and won't pay for her co-"

"I know that part."

"Yeah, well, she wants to be an inventor and make stuff for kids like her. She just usually doesn't tell people cuz the kids at school call her a baby and crazy and stuff."

"What sort of stuff does she want to make?"

"Uh, I think she mentioned permanent stilts for short kids once."

"And recorders disguised as household objects," Bertholdt added. "For lawsuits and stuff."

"Damn," Mikasa said. "That is a good reason to go to college. Better than my reason for needing money, too>"

"I dunno," Levi said as he set their beers down. "Ballet's one of the few decent art forms, and you're pretty good at it."

Mikasa crossed her arms and squinted. "How did you know I wanted to be a dancer? Or what I dance like?"

Levi froze for a moment, but quickly brushed things off with a 'tch.' "You just danced a whole fight, doofus. Plus, you mentioned your dance career once."

Mikasa didn't really buy it, but didn't say so because Bertholdt started to talk. "Well, no offense, Mikasa," he said, his chin up but his hands shaking. "but in my opinion, Annie's need for money is more important than yours."

As Mikasa opened her mouth to refute, she was cut off by an angry growl. She turned around in her barstool and saw an open bathroom door, with a very angry Annie.

"Did you guys tell her about my plans?" she hissed.

Bertholdt gulped.

"I-I-I thought we could," Reiner said, putting his hands up.

"I was trying to maintain an aura of mystery. I was trying not to get teased by the first decent person I've met in a millennia. But no! You guys have to sabotage everything I try to do."

As Annie continued to lecture, Mikasa stopped listening, partially because she didn't understand half the words she was saying, and partially because her brain couldn't stop thinking about this new information.

An inventor. Mikasa sure knew what that meant. That definitely sounded more important than dancing, more beneficial. She thought of the headlines- 'Girl Fights Her Way to College and Changes the World with Technology' sounded a lot better than 'Naive Runaway Defeats Other Girl to Feed Herself.'

Maybe the money was better spent on Annie.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa dances while thinking about Annie.

Mikasa had always danced while thinking. Perhaps it was a habit, or perhaps it was a nervous tic, but when she was younger, she would do frappés* around the house while talking to friends on the phone. In her early teens, on lonely nights when she was cold and unsure of how long she'd live, she would dance, if only to keep warm. now, she was dancing in a dark alleyway that she'd made her own. Kenny's Fight Klub was closed (or 'klosed,' as the sign said) for Easter, and it gave Mikasa time to think about things--namely, Annie.

She absent-mindedly popped up and down on relevé *, not noticing the feeling draining from her bare feet as they scraped against the pavement. It was difficult to notice anything, with her mind so full of the thoughts that Annie had provided her with.

For starters, the fact that her father had been abusive. While that explained why she'd said she'd actually like to have dead parents: if her parents had been that way, would she feel differently about their deaths?

Swaying her arms and waltzing in relevé, Mikasa did a balancé. She'd always associated that step with her parents, since she remembered them watching her do it at her first dance recital. The murder of her parents was the worst thing that ever happened to her--it took away her future, her home, and health. However, if her family had been as awful as the people who had killed them, maybe it wouldn't hurt so much..... she almost wished it were true.

As Mikasa began to practice her kicks, she was reminded of her second Annie-thought: why, of all things, did she choose fighting to earn money? Sure, she was a skilled fighter, but she could make money in much easier ways, like tutoring, or a heavy-lifting job. Hell, if Mikasa had money, she would pay Annie just to talk to her in that uninterested, intelligent way, as embarrassing as that would be. She could think of no reason for Annie to fight, unless her father had something to do with it.

Mikasa managed to clear her head of Annie for a moment as she focused on practicing her latest choreography. She had no actual music to listen to, so she simply counted to 8 in her head, over and over again. She chainesed* in a circle, then leaped out of it and collapsed onto the ground, rolling over on the wet pavement with her legs outstretched.

Even when she wasn't thinking, Mikasa's dancing was absent-minded. She didn't really feel or think too much ever, to be fair, but she sometimes wondered if she was losing her passion for dance. She moved more on instinct now, as a habit, or as a warming tactic.

However, as Mikasa spun her leg around high in the air, she remembered Annie kicking her, her leg flying through the air and her blistered little foot heading right for Mikasa's face. As that image stayed in her head, for the first time in years, Mikasa felt something. She couldn't tell if it was fear or awe or what, but she felt an energy spread all through her body, a burning vibration that she needed to release.

She swung her leg back into an arabesque she pointed her foot and extended her limbs like never before, and still, she wasn't satisfied. She wanted to reach on forever, to let this energy fliy out.

Mikasa leapt and spun furiously. The world around her disappeared as her moving body and visions of Annie became all she could hear, see or feel. Every step conjured up a different moment with Annie, and they became the music, the counts in her head. A vision of Annie reading at the bar propelled Mikasa's leap forward. The sound of her threatening to kick Conny's ass became the force that turned Mikasa's fuetés.

Mikasa's final move was a side-split in the air. She executed it perfectly, every part of her body fully extended as she flew in the air, before collapsing on the pavement. She was shaking, and once her final vision of Annie faded, Mikasa stared at her twilight shadow and had a thought: how can I repay Annie now?

Annie had given her something to think about other than survival. Her losses in the fights had given her money--more money than she'd had in 8 years. She'd educated her, hydrated her (even if beer was gross), and now, she'd awakened her passion for dancing.

Yet, if Annie lost just 2 more fights, she'd be out. How was that fair? Annie had given Mikasa so much. To take her money seemed selfish, especially since Mikasa just needed it to survive, while Annie was going to use it to escape her father, get into college, and change the world with inventions.

The worst part was that it was likely that Annie would lose more fights. This was partially Annie's own fault, since she was more invested in studying than training for fights, but it was also partially Mikasa's fault. Every time Annie had lost a fight, it was because Mikasa was bigger of because she'd distracted her. Either Annie had to switch her priorities, or Mikasa had to do something...

Mikasa thought for a while before she realized that her skin was wet from the pavement, and with that realization came more: namely, that she was still lying on the ground. She got up. Though she was panting and exhausted from dancing, she forced her aching legs to walk to her 'bed,' a.k.a. a pile of boxes, a think blanket, and some cheese she'd actually bought.

She did have $150 dollars now. IF she was very, very careful, she could live on that for two months, or maybe even three. She didn't need the $50 she'd from tomorrow's fight, if she won.

So, as Mikasa got under her covers and nibbled on a bit of cold cheddar cheese, the crushed boxes underneath her making dents in her skin, she made a decision: in order to start making even with Annie, she was going to throw the fight tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> relevé: essentially going on your tip-toes. Not exactly a ballet step on its own, but it's used as part of a lot of moves.
> 
> frappé: one wraps one foot around the other ankle, then extends their leg while striking the floor. This one is also not really a step, but it's used as an exercise and is the basis of other steps.
> 
> chaines: traveling turns on relevé . Unlike most turns, both legs are straight and touch the ground during most of the turn.
> 
> Also, as a dancer with a girlfriend, I can confirm that thinking about the girl you like while dancing has this reaction.


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa's forfeit doesn't go as well as planned. Or go well at all, really.

Mikasa's warm-ups before the next fight were strictly dance-related. She did splits, pliés, bended her bare toes against the wood floor, and only exercised her arms for port de bras. Why would she exercise her arms? She didn't really need them for the fight.

As she did push-ups and stretched her arms, Annie watched Mikasa, at first with a cautious curiosity, eyebrows lifting ever-so-slightly when Mikasa slide into a split and tilting her head to get a better view of her opponent's over-arched foot. But as Mikasa failed to do any arm exercises, Annie's expression became confused and almost suspicious. She stared with squinted eyes, only looking away when Mikasa met her gaze. Then, she quickly looked away and focused on balling and stretching out her hands.

"Fight starts in 2 minutes," they heard Levi's faint, dreary voice announce from the bar. A few people drifted in from outside the room, but not many- most were already waiting for the fight to begin, watching the girls stretch in near-silence.

Mikasa did one more split, the floor burning against her thighs, then bent backwards and forwards. After that, she climbed into the ring, and Annie did the same after a few more crunches. They looked each other in the eye and nodded.

"Good luck," Mikasa said solemnly. Inside, she was shaky and a little excited, wondering if she'd see a smile on Annie's face when she won, but she couldn't show it.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like I'll need it."

She's right, Mikasa thought. Luck is already on her side.

I suppose I'm luck, she then mused.

Just moments later, Armin walked into the room. "Start in 5...."

They prepped their positions.

"4,3,2,1! Fight!"

Annie threw a punch, and Mikasa half-heartedly put her fists in front of her face. She was unsurprised when her "opponent's" fist smacked her face, triggering a hundred more smacks and claps from the audience.

Mikasa 'retaliated' by aiming a punch at Annie's face, then moving it slightly at the last second so she only brushed her cheek.

Annie caught Mikasa's fist. "Not doing so well, are you, Mikasa?"

Dear god, her name was like a dagger on Annie's tongue, stabbing and twisting her gut in glorious ways. She didn't get to respond, partially because of her twisted stomach and partially because Annie's tiny hands worked down the arm Mikasa had punched with and then pushed her back against the edge of the ring. Mikasa stumbled the crowd 'oooooh'-ed.

Annie then ran at her, and jumped. For a second Mikasa fully stopped as she wondered if Annie was jumping into her arms. That fantasy died as soon as Annie kicked her leg, and Mikasa let it push her onto the floor.

A shock rippled up her spine, but she pushed herself up despite the ache. Annie was just standing there, looking her up and down and scowling, as if she were calculating something. She suddenly punched Mikasa straight in the stomach.

Mikasa grabbed her stinging stomach on instinct, she forced herself to collapse to the ground, trying to keep the drama to a minimum--although she did allow herself a groan.

Annie put her foot on Mikasa's hip, and Mikasa willingly stayed there. It took a lot of self control not to look up to see Annie's smug face.

5....

4...

3....

Before Mikasa knew what was going on, she felt Annie remove her foot from her hip, and suddenly yank her upright.

As Mikasa stumbled towards Annie, she heard the crowd cry "Boo!" and various demands and insults. The two girls did not respond. They just looked into each other's eyes, Mikasa confused to see Annie's scowl look her up and down.

Suddenly, Mikasa felt a spoon move across her face. She blinked, trying to shake away the pain, and watched as Annie lowered her red hand from the slap. She balled it up and bit her lip, her nostrils practically fuming as she panted.

"You.....you bitch," Annie hissed. "You threw the fight, didn't you? Don't lie to me. Why the fuck would you do that?"

Mikasa blinked at her for a moment, confused. The slap seemed more painful than ever in the silence, and she rubbed it. "I... I just wanted to make up for-"

"-my father?" Annie said. "No, shut up, I've heard that a lot of times. People are always trying to help cheat, giving me food, or trying to get me to run away because they pity me. I'm tired of it. Doesn't anyone ever think I'm strong enough to deal with things on my own?"

"Annie, calm down. I was talking about-"

"Shut the hell up," Annie said. "Why do you care? All you've done is beaten me to pulp, and stuck your nose into my business. People--no, the world that has hurt me cannot just turn around and pity me!"

Annie growled and ran for the door, seemingly not aware that she was only in a sports bra and leggings.

Mikasa never heard the outraged boos and shouts from the audience, or saw Hanji faint, or felt the crowd shake the ring. Her senses were clouded by the sight of Annie running out the door, her back to Mikasa for god knows how long. And for the first time in years,even though she knew it was only a matter of time before Annie ran for good, Mikasa did not feel like letting this go. Not now. Not ever.

She ran like a maniac. She jumped over the ring as the crowd's shouts became louder. She bursted through the doors to the fight room and dashed down the hall, ignoring Levi as he said "What the fuck are you doing, little champ?" She ran outside and the cold April shower sank into her bare skin and became fuel, only to ignite when she caught sight of Annie.

"Annie, wait!" she shouted, only to be disgusted by the desperation in her voice.

To her shock, Annie stopped running and turned around. Her face was wet with tears and her body dripped in the rain.

Mikasa ran until there was barely a yard between them. Then she paused, leaning her hands against bent knees,and between gasps, said, "Let...me.....explain."

"I don't want your explanations," Annie said. "I want a rematch."


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie hates pity, but loves Mikasa's shoulders.

"What the hell?" Mikasa said, squinting at Annie as she panted. From her slouch, Annie actually seemed taller for once, her face almost overly superior. "No. We just fought."

"Not for real. You were pitying me," Annie said, spitting out the word 'pitying' like it was poison. "Play fair, Mikasa."

"No. I'm sorry about what I did-- I was only trying to thank you--but you need to stop acting like a child."

"Me? Acting like a child?" Annie forced, practically coughed a laugh like a dagger up her throat, sending a strange shiver down Mikasa's spine. "You're the one who doesn't even know the word 'Inertia.'"

Mikasa clenched her fists for a moment, wanting to shout, but then remembered why she threw the fight in the first place, and relaxed.

"See? I made you mad. Now you'll want to fight. Fight me, Mikasa."

"No."

Annie bit her lip and scowled. "Fight...back."

With that, she left forward. Her foot splashed in a puddle while her fist flew at Mikasa, but missed by a landslide. Mikasa didn't flinch but watched distantly, fighting to remain calm and not run, despite having the feeling that Annie was going to explode and destroy either her, herself, or both.

Annie huffed. "Come on. Fight." Mikasa watched as Annie kicked her calf, but somehow she barely felt it.

"I won't fight you. You've given me so much and I've only ever hurt you. I need to repay you and I can't do that by fighting," Mikasa said.

"But you can!" Annie said. "Please, just fight me. Please. Show that you don't pity me."

Pity. That word again. Mikasa remembered all the food and money total strangers had given her while dancing, and wondered if it was for the dancing or for pity. Either way, it was what kept her alive today. "What's so wrong about pity?"

A scream erupted out of nowhere and Mikasa jumped a bit. Then everything became blurry, and all she saw was a fist flying for her, and then a smack on her shoulders.

Annie had tripped. She was rested on Mikasa's shoulders.

Her collarbone suddenly felt very heated and, among thousands of other confusing questions, she wondered if this was wrong, if she should push Annie away, but something in her wanted to wait until necessary. Besides, before she had much of a choice, Annie grabbed her tight and began to sob.

Mikasa's stomach pitted and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around Annie. No turning back now, she thought. "Shhh," she said. It did not stop Annie.

Her tears were now wetting Mikasa's shirt more than the misty rain was, and her nose probed Mikasa's heart and made it jump. It was uncomfortable but she couldn't seem to let go. "My father...calls me pitiful," Annie said, wet lips stroking Mikasa's breasts. "He calls my fighting pitiful, he calls my dream pitiful, he calls my friends pitiful, he calls every goddamn part of me pitiful, but..." Her voice cracked again as she pinched Mikasa's shoulders. "I'm not pitiful, am I? I'm smart and I'm strong and... I guess you've made me stronger and....I just don't need any fucking pity!"

"Oh," Mikasa said. Her stomach was now a black hole. She looked down at Annie's messy, airy blonde hair and for a moment, the only noise was the now-gentle rain. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize."

"I know. I just...wanted us to be even. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't." Annie sighed and pushed herself off of Mikasa, and suddenly the dancer felt very cold, very empty. "You just didn't need to forfeit--that means 'to give up'-- the fight for me. It makes it seem like you think I'm weak, and there are better ways to thank me or whatever. Like answering my questions, for starters."

"How did you even know I forfited...I mean, forfeited the fight?"

"It was painfully obvious. I can't beat you so easily--you're as good as I am, and way about 25% more."

"Weight has percents?"

Annie groaned and rubbed her forehead, thumping and she sat down on the curb. Mikasa joined her more cautiously. It was wet. "Why the hell are you like this? You're stronger than I, you've survived on your own for years, you somehow trained yourself to dance and fight, and you found out my life story in weeks--but you don't know how percents work?"

Mikasa blushed and shrugged, and her companion sighed. "Look at me," Annie said, which Mikasa did. Her blonde hair was wet and her muscles were dripping with sweat and rain, and in all her mess she was unbelievably gorgeous. Mikasa's legs wanted to spin and leap at the sight of her. "I can't even keep my plans a secret. How do you do it? I've worked my ass off for everything I have and you just naturally get everything."

Mikasa didn't think losing her parents and being near-starvation for 8 years was really 'getting everything,' but she said, "If it makes you feel any better, I'll tell you about my life." 

Mikasa watched as Annie stared blankly for a moment, then slowly tilted until her cheek gently rested on Mikasa's shoulders. With one smaller nod that brushed against the other girl's skin, she said, "I think I'd like that."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

Annie enjoyed the whole story experience. She watched with wide eyes as Mikasa told her entire story, from the day she was kidnapped and the way she managed to keep dancing, to getting hired at Garrison's Girls and finding her way to the fight club. Annie asked questions sometimes and Mikasa gladly answered them, although sometimes it would result in tears in her reddening eyes or a cracking voice. It almost felt good to see Mikasa weak like that, perhaps because it made Annie feel more human, less alone. More normal.

And the story itself was beautiful too. It flowed like a river that Mikasa had been damming for far too long, and it was like something out of a fairy tale, how all these small, beautiful things and floated her to the place she was today.

"....and after that fight with Jean, I saw you," Mikasa said. "You looked a lot like me, I thought, but at the same time, you were so different from anything I'd ever seen. I was interested."

"So you decided to fight me," Annie said.

"Yeah."

The corner of Annie's mouth twitched. She fought the urge to laugh. "I've never met anyone quite as strange as you. You have some odd ways of expressing interest."

"Well, you can't say it didn't have positive effects. I'm sorry, though. I hope you see why I want to repay you, seeing as our fights have obviously...improved my, uh, financial situation." Mikasa said that like she was fighting to keep something from spilling out.

Annie wanted to ask what was wrong, but she felt the need to respond first. "You're wrong, though. You've entertained me and given me support when needed so.... I'd say you've done enough."

"I haven't"

"Well, I sure haven't done enough to deserve special treatment."

"Then I suppose we both have a debt to repay."

They were silent for the first time in almost an hour. Annie hadn't realized how close they were, how hard Mikasa's shoulders were and how smoother her legs were. It was like a wet little bed under the cloudy, raining sky.

"We could do that," Annie said, wanting to break the silence. "I mean, you need food and education, which I have, and I need to get stronger. We could trade."

"So.... we both help each other?"

"Yeah. And maybe the fight club too. They've helped us a lot, I just realized."

"True." Another mini-silence. "But I still think you've done enough."

Annie groaned. "Shut up, we've been over this. What do you want to do?"

Mikasa creased her brow in thought. "I'm not sure yet, but I'll do something."

"Great. Well, I know what I'm doing." Annie took her head off of Mikasa. "With that in mind, we should head back. We need to explain to Levi, and I need to grab my books."

"You're still thinking about studying, after all this?"

"No," Annie said, which was sort of a lie. She just wanted her books. "Also, I, uh... need to tutor you. For a GED or something."

"Oh," Mikasa said. The corners of her mouth lifted and she leaned in hesitantly. "Thanks," she breathed on her partner.

Annie took a deep breath and waited for a touch that took far too long, so she leaned into the gap without thinking, so eager, with Mikasa practically on her....

It must have looked odd to the passerby--two girls, kissing on Main Street in the middle of a downpour. Annie, however, could only feel Mikasa's chapped lips and wet skin, and a burning desire to just fall onto her, to fall into Mikasa's beauty forever. She'd never have to leave.

"Thank you," Mikasa said again,finally, pulling away. 

Annie was speechless, seeing as her Mikasa-drowning had stolen her breath, but managed to say, "For what?"

"For being a good person."

Annie felt her cheeks flush. That's why Mikasa had kissed her? She had only said the tutoring thing to seem less selfish, less stupid. She felt a pit in her stomach. She stood up and felt Mikasa watch her, only for her to follow suit. Annie began to walk without any control of herself, and she wondered if Mikasa thought she was leaving. Luckily, the other girl followed. One Mikasa got close, Annie grabbed her hand, trying to show that she was not leaving, and more importantly, to make up for tricking her into a kiss. "I'm glad I could be a good person to you."


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie and Mikasa's lives have changed a lot in the weeks since that kiss, and Annie's about to make another change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who only just now learned how to do italics on AO3.

Annie couldn't believe her own eyes. Mikasa was doing an over-split, one ankle on the edge of Levi's ring and the other leg flat on the floor. Watching as Mikasa leaned forward, grabbing her popping calf muscles, Annie couldn't help but envy her--her own body was surging, feeling the sudden urge to grab those legs and never let go.

(She was also doubly jealous, seeing as when she practiced with Mikasa, her split could only reach a measured 135 degrees).

But Annie managed to pull her eyes away, adjust her seat on the audience's folding chairs, and look at her history teacher's study guide. She cleared her throat. "Describe the land type of the Middle East."

"The Middle East is....agh... very....dry and hot with....huh.... lots of deserts."

Oh, her voice was enough to drive her crazy. Mikasa had enough of a problem focusing now that her whole life was practically just studying and learning for her GED--she'd said that she'd read and written more in eight days than she had in eight years--but hearing her so audibly struggle left Annie both satisfied and wanting more. This was better than the feeling she'd gotten when they snuck into her house while her dad was gone, only to flee. Perhaps that's why Annie insisted upon constant reading, reviewing, no matter where--it was just so pleasing.

(Though, despite struggling, Mikasa learned expeditiously. The gap in their vocabulary was closing quickly and she had no problem grasping and applying scientific concepts that challenged even Annie.)

"Correct," Annie said. She looked for another question on the guide, and for a moment all was silent aside from the cheers and grunts of a TV wrestling match. "Who was Muhammad?"

"An...aaaagh...Arab prophet who founded Islam."

"Good. What's a theocracy?"

"A...government based..ugh.. on or controlled by...huh... religion."

Annie nodded, but before she could ask the next question, Mikasa said, "Annie, could we take a break? We're both fighting new opponents in half an hour, and I have want to focus on stretching and exercising. I'm sure you want to, too."

Now that they were.... together, Mikasa and Annie decided to stop fighting each other and take on new opponents. And now that they were no longer enemies, Mikasa had taken to showing Annie some helpful exercises (which Annie found fairly easy) and stretches (which Annie couldn't do in the least). While Annie grew much stronger and her quick-moving fighting style became more effective, Mikasa insisted that it still wasn't enough. This was because Annie failed to express how much she enjoyed watching Mikasa stretch-- it was beautiful, awing, and terrifying all at the same time. She also never told her how fascinating it was, that one day when Annie introduced her to a new song and she began choreographing to it. The process was odd, but the end result was interesting--which sounded critical, but it was a compliment. Annie didn't find much interesting.

"Actually, I think I'll just do my own schoolwork."

"Oh, okay."

Annie grabbed her book bag and was drawing out her 3-D design binder when she felt a soft brush on her cheek. Her entire body grew warm and she wondered if she was blushing. She turned around and saw Mikasa smiling at her a bit, and something overwhelmed her and she grabbed those beautiful muscles of hers and kissed her straight on the lips.

Of all the things that had changed between Annie and Mikasa, the touches, the kisses, the affection was the most unusual to Annie, but by god Annie could get used to this heat, this gentleness, this feeling in her stomach. Sure, most of the touches in her life had been hits and punches, and she still winced a bit every time Mikasa moved a certain way, but she'd be willing to unlearn all of her fears if she could kiss like this all the time.

Mikasa broke off the kiss way too soon, as usual, and looked away, going over to the ring. Annie watched her watch the wrestling match and go up and down on her toes, before turning back to her homework. In silence, Annie drew her paperweight prototype, drawing dimensions and weights and a clothespin-like figure.

Their silence was broken when Mikasa said, "These wrestles are kind of weird."

Annie looked at Mikasa, who was now panting through sit-ups, then at the TV. A muscular, pale man threw a darker man onto the ground with ease. "Oh, of course they are," Annie said. "It's all choreographed."

"Yeah, didn't you know that? Someone who wins, and then they make this dramatic fight for that outcome. Only clubs like these and the Olympics have _real_ wrestling."

"Oh. Must be difficult job, choreographing fights."

"I suppose so."

They both went back to their work, but Annie found her pencil wouldn't move. She was too busy thinking about how Mikasa was a fighting ballerina, who desperately wanted to be of service to her and the fight club, and that she could choreograph, and.....

The best part of the idea was that Annie could _literally_ get repaid, assuming that Mikasa choreographed it so that she won. It would give her dignity back, in a way, and Levi might pay the winner a bit extra.

Annie looked up, about to mention the idea to Mikasa, but saw that she had her leg up behind her and high, arms outstretched. She looked like a superhero about the take flight (her strained muscles helped with that illusion), and she looked so beautiful that Annie felt that disturbing her would be added to the list of things she'd never forgive herself for.

Thus, she went back to labeling her paperweight while Mikasa shifted from position to position. They were both quiet, but the other's presence wasn't ignored. If anything, it was difficult not to look at or want to touch each other.

They both looked up when the door creaked open, with Levi peaking through the door. "I'm opening doors in 10 minutes, so you might want to start considering your next opponents or warming up or something."

"Also, little champion, ou-- I mean, my Uncle Kenny is actually stepping up to the plate for fucking once, so he'll run the bar and I'll referee in here, alright, little champ? Little champ's girlfriend?"

"Okay."

"My _name_ is Annie."

"Whatever."

With that, Levi turned around and left the rom. From behind, Annie noticed, he looked almost identical to Mikasa, save the hair length.

"You two look a lot alike, you know," said Annie.

"Yeah, I know. He treats me weird, too."

" _Strangely_. Weird is an adjective, not adverb."

"That doesn't matter. You get my point. Don't act all smart."

Annie smirked. "I am, though."

"Ha, sure."

"Well, anyway, do you think you guys are distant relatives or something?"

"I doubt it. My dad said we didn't have much family, and what I did have, my parents kept me away from. I only met one cousin at Christmas, once, when I was 6."

"Do you think it was him?"

Mikasa shrugged. "Probably not. But he's been nice, and it's not important, so I don't pry."

"Well, it's kind of hard _not_ to be nice to you."

Mikasa's tiny smile reappeared, and Annie felt quietly triumphant. "Well, anyway, his kindness is why we should repay him."

"Oh, about that. I had an idea."


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa and Annie play around a bit, and later Mikasa and Levi get serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate title for this chapter is, "AC pulls a made-up life hack out of their ass and uses it as a plot device." I'm trying, guys. I really am.

Studying slowed down as Mikasa began to choreograph a fight for her and Annie. They would occasionally bicker about whether they should choreograph or do math problems, but usually the former would win out on the condition that they'd work afterwards.

It turned out that finding a time and place to choreograph was more difficult than doing so with studying. They often worked on the fight at the fight club before doors opened, but they were prone to Levi walking in, which would ruin the surprise. Often, Annie would go to the gym at her father's request (or demand, really), only to meet up with Mikasa there-- but it was getting harder for her to sneak in.

One particular day, after school, Annie had gone to Mikasa's alleyway to work on the fight. It was a rather hot and sunny day and the alleyway provided some shade, but Mikasa and Annie were still sweaty.

"Good job," Mikasa said, panting and resting her hands on her bare, bent knees. "You need to put more into your punches, though. Don't be afraid to really hit me."

Annie nodded and pulled her fingers through her damp bangs, panting in and out as well.

"How long was that?" Mikasa asked.

"Uh...." Annie trudged over to where her phone was resting on a trash can, and clicked it on. "Three minutes, more or less."

Annie nodded and got into her prep position, while Mikasa grabbed her arm and outstretched it. She saw the Annie's legs tremble a bit, but she seemed to calm down as Mikasa walked in front of her.

"You had just punched, and I was like this......" She turned her face away from Annie's fist, and lifted her bended right leg. "..... about to kick. So I think I'll outstretch it, and you grab it with your free hand."

Annie did as told, and Mikasa winced a bit as Annie's arm nearly dropped at the weight of her leg. "Okay, now turn me around."

Annie violently swung Mikasa and her leg around, making the taller girl lose balance and fall backwards into her. "No, this is good. Push me into the ground."

Mikasa felt a lot of sudden force against her back, and allowed her shoulder blades to fall backwards as she did a controlled fall into the ground.

She didn't wince at the pain on her hands, which were scraped by the hot pavement. She simply said, "That's our ending. Let's go over it one more time."

"Sure, just a sec."

Mikasa pushed herself up and watched as Annie took her mostly-empty water bottle and used her nails to pry a hole in the plastic. She then put her upper lip inside the slot, and drank.

"Why'd you do that?" Mikasa asked, confused by the strange ritual.

"It makes it easy to get water when it's low without it all falling onto your face when you kick it back," Annie said. Then she smirked. "Hey, Mikasa."

"Hmm?"

She pointed the water bottle at Mikasa, and before she knew it she was hit with a jet of cold water that soaked through her shirt. 

"Oh, you _bitch_ ," Mikasa hissed, and lunged forward for the water bottle. Annie pulled back and they played tug-of war with it for a minute, yanking the water bottle back and forth until Mikasa made one particularly violent grab, squeezing the rest of the water out of the bottle and all over Annie.

There was a silence for a moment, and then Annie spat and opened her scrunched-close eyes. Instantly, she burst out laughing. 

Mikasa couldn't remember the last time she really, fully, laughed out loud. It may have been before the day her parents died. But in that moment, she didn't know why, but every laugh in her poured out uncontrollably. Annie's laugh was high-pitched and guttural, a big contrast to Mikasa's low, honking laugh. Together, it sounded like strange music. 

Doubling over from laughter, Annie's arms fell onto Mikasa's shoulders. She was taken by surprise when the shorter girl grabbed her soaked shirt, pulling her close, very close.

Only then did Mikasa realize how beautiful Annie looked, how delicate her pink little smile was, how her grey eyes shone. But she also realized that they were both very vulnerable, from being wet to only being able to see each other to laughing out their feelings. Some creep could come and stab Annie at any moment, and that would be the end of it all. Mikasa was always torn between wanting to hold tight and protect or looking away so she didn't have to see things go wrong, but Annie's breath smelled like mint and Mikasa wanted to keep it. She let Annie kiss her.

Mikasa's hands went to Annie's wet, messy bun, pulling her close, while the other girl's hands went around her waist. They subconsciously sort of waddled around, so caught up in the taste one each other's lips and holding tight, until they sat down on Mikasa's sleeping area.

The taller girl sort of smiled at Annie, who's hair was all wet, with water dripping from her nose and her grey eyes sparkling. Dear god, she was beautiful. She knew it was only a matter of time before they were ripped apart, but Mikasa hoped with all her heart that she could keep just this one.

The moment was ruined when Annie's phone chimed. She sighed and got up to check it.

"What is it?" Mikasa asked as her girlfriend walked over to a trash can. 

"Ugh, Reiner and Bertholdt want to go shopping for new phone with me." Her nose crinkled and her upper lip curled.

"Do you want to go?"

"Uh, sort of, I guess. Tech stores are always nice."

"Go, then. I need to talk to Levi about the fight anyway."

"Oh, okay. Good luck."

"Thanks. Have fun."

Annie nodded and walked out of the alley, and Mikasa slowly pushed herself up, still dazed from the kiss, and began to do the same.

 

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"Levi?" Mikasa asked, tapping on the glass door to Kenny's Fight Klub. She stood on her tiptoes and tried to peak in, but the various posters and signs on the door blocked all but minuscule cracks.

That's why she was so surprised to when Levi opened the door. Her breathing stopped and he said, "What's up? We're closed."

"I know. I need to talk to you about something."

He paused for a minute, then sighed. "Uh, sure. Come on in."

Levi opened the door wider and Mikasa walked in. It was eerily quiet, and she realized how large the fight club actually was, now that the space wasn't filled by rowdy customers.

"Come behind the bar," Levi said.

Mikasa nodded and looked around as she walked. The walls were decorated with bartending awards, which Mikasa hadn't known existed, pictures of what Mikasa assumed as Kenny with a thin woman and a familiar looking man (although his face was quite generic), all of which were smiling. There were also many things that said "Fight Club Approval" and such from various official departments and insurance companies. Mikasa wondered how much insurance and legal approval one needed to run a fight club.

She followed Levi behind the bar and sat down on a stool she didn't know was there, while he leaned against the bar.

"So, what do you need to talk about?" Levi asked nonchalantly.

"Um..." She didn't quite know where to start. "Do you think choreographed fights are illegal?"

"Doubt it, seeing as they do it on TV. It might be construed as false advertising, but I wouldn't care if it made enough money. Everyone does illegal shit in my family. Half of those certificates on the the fall are faked by Kenny, my mom was a fucking prostitute, and my little cousin..." Levi smirked and looked away from Mikasa. "Well, it's to survive, but I'm pretty sure they've done tons of illegal stuff."

The question burned in Mikasa's mind but the words poured out before she could stop them. "Levi, are we related?"

Levi's eyes widened and he froze.

"Well?"

The short man stayed frozen, staring into the distance, until he finally sighed and slumped his tense shoulders. "You're too smart for me to play around like that, huh."

Mikasa watched as he walked over to the wall and took one of the pictures of Kenny down. He stared at it for a moment, a ghost of a smile on his face, then walked back over to Mikasa, handing it to her. "Take a look at this."

She held the cold frame and looked the picture. Kenny and the other generic blonde man were carrying the thin woman, who had messy, dark hair, horizontally. They were all young, Levi's age, and while the blonde man's face was washed out from sunlight, it was clear that he was laughing like Kenny and the woman. Mikasa's heart couldn't decide to rise or fall, especially while looking at the blonde man, so it just stopped.

Levi was peering over her shoulder. He pointed at Kenny, who was wearing a dark hat. "That's my Uncle Kenny. He's the only one of them who's still alive." His finger shifter over to point at the woman. "That's my mother, Kuchel. Died eight years after this picture was taken seventeen years ago, when I was 3 and she was 26." Finally, he pointed at the blonde man, and Mikasa accidentally held her breath. "He died eight years ago. He's my Uncle Jeff, and your father."


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi explains a little. Mikasa feels a lot.

Mikasa really didn't know what to say. She was shocked, and confused, and her mind was saying some sort of jumbled 'I told you so.' She had a family member, here, with her, but all she could do was stare at some dumb photo.

"Are you okay, little champion?" Levi asked.

Mikasa's eyes blinked and looked at Levi. He was scowling a bit. "Uh, yeah. Just..... confused."

"'Bout what?"

God, so many things came to mind, and yet only one real, clear, question. "Why do you call me 'little champion?'"

Levi's eyebrows lifted, and Mikasa felt a bit embarrassed for asking such a dumb question. Despite her feelings she stood tall, and Levi said, "Uh, I assume you remember the Christmas we spent together. You were almost six and I had just turned nine."

"Yes, a little bit."

"Well, Uncle Kenny convinced you to give me birthday punches, but I fought back when you did. We kind of fought for a while, but you eventually knocked me down and won. I said, 'Congrats, little champion.' I don't think you liked the 'little' part but I guess your bore it for 'champion.'"

Mikasa tried to think back to that Christmas-- all she remembered was her knuckles aching after punching something. "Did you come back for more Christmases? No, right?"

Levi sighed. "Yeah. Your dad didn't want our Uncle Kenny over-- see, my mom had already died, and he coped with coke, if you get what I mean. Still does. He started this place just to have lots of access to liquor, then abandoned it when he realized he'd have to do actual work. Anyway, I get why your dad wouldn't want Kenny around, but it pretty much left me with no one but him for the rest of my life."

"He told me you guys didn't want to see us. That Kenny was mean and that you had other friends."

"Well, the first part is true but I had like...two friends, and they were gone by the time I was 16. I hate to say it, but your dad lied."

Mikasa didn't know why the idea brought so much pain to her gut.

Actually, a lot of her ached, because a quiet a few people had lied to her-- not only her parents, but Levi. She understood her parents--she had only been a child--but Levi? He had no reason to treat her like a baby, especially if he knew how much she'd survived. He had no right.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Mikasa asked. "And don't say you wanted to 'protect' me because that's fucking idiotic. The truth wouldn't have hurt me more than anything else I've been through."

Levi sighed and grabbed a glass from the back of the bar. He took it over to the sink, filled it with water, then took a sip from it. The glass thumped on the table with all the force of a sledgehammer.

Mikasa didn't flinch. She watched Levi with annoyance, then finally said, "Well?"

"Truth be told, I don't know. I was worried you'd hate us because Kenny and I never looked for you when we heard you went missing--we thought you were dead. Part of me was afraid you weren't who I thought you were, but that was stupid. Part of me thought you would leave soon enough and there was no point in telling you. Mostly, I was just busy."

"Great. I totally understand how running a dirty bar is more important than helping your homeless, underage cousin."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's not like that. I thought you'd be okay with just Annie."

"Annie.... Annie is great, and I'm grateful for her. But it'd be nice to have someone to feed me, or help me, or just... have someone who was bonded to me by blood. Who I can't leave, and who can't leave me."

Mikasa didn't even realize there were tears in her eyes until Levi was staring at them, and then he hugged her, and the tears fell out from sheer force. After that, there was no stopping. She didn't know why but Levi's strong, sturdy shoulder just invited term, and he stood there, taking them. His hair smelled artificially of cinnamon, and it was almost like Christmas, greeting her first-ever cousin at the door. The tears kept on falling but she felt so happy, so relieved, and so safe. She held Levi tighter.

Finally, she let go of him, and quickly wiped her eyes (even though she knew he'd heard her crying). She then looked down at his eyes, and for the first time, she didn't see her own eyes looking back at her, but her father's-- calm and kind. She wondered if he'd ever smiled like her father did in the picture.

"Um," Levi said, interrupting her thoughts. Mikasa nodded and stood up straighter. "About the choreographed fight...."

"I've been working on--"

"You can do it. With Annie. I'll get you guys a date and do some publicity. Just make it believable and you'll get paid."

"I--we will," Mikasa said. "And please pay Annie a bit extra. She's really come a long way, and she wants to go to college for engineering. You should see some of her ideas."

"I'll give her $500 if enough people show, okay?" Mikasa nodded. "And... I'll give you the same."

Fighting to keep down a smile--she'd already cried today-- she said, "Thank you."

Mikasa had alway prided herself on being distant and emotionless, and thought Annie was the only one who rivaled her in that (like most things they did). But she supposed Levi had gotten a lot more practice, because he spoke in monotone and looked her right in the eye as he said, "That's what family's for, right?"


	14. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight finally goes down. Later, Mikasa and Annie become one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for NSFW stuff in the second half of the chapter!

Levi had put posters up all around Shinganshina about Mikasa and Annie's fight, and they worked well. Almost a hundred people had shoved themselves into the fight room, and Connie and Levi were running around somewhat frantically, trying to fulfill all the demands of beer and pretzels.

Mikasa usually felt comfortable at Kenny's Fight Klub, but that day, her mind was racing with worries. She could hardly sit still enough to stretch against the bar without her legs shaking. There were so many people in the audience-- including her uncle, who she wanted to impress-- and they all wanted to see the "Grande Finale to the Ackerman-Leonhardt Feud." If she messed up, or if the choreography wasn't believable, the consequences would likely be humiliating.

Mikasa shook her head and lifted her leg and arm in a heel stretch. Her hand kept on slipping off her foot.

"Little champion," she heard Levi say, and brought her leg down. She turned to look at him.

"It's time," he said. "Let's get going."

Taking a deep breath, Mikasa nodded and followed Levi to the door. He patted her on the back before she went in. "Good luck. I'll be watching."

"Not helpful," Mikasa said blankly.

Levi snorted and she couldn't help but smile a bit. She quickly forced her lips back down as Levi said, "I know. Get in there."

Mikasa pushed open the door before she could have any second thoughts. Instantly, she was barraged by a chorus of cheers and boos. She nodded at the crowd,not knowing what else to do, and they went crazier.

When the crowd became just about as wild as a group of monkeys and Hanji passed out, Mikasa turned to the door to see what was going on. Annie was there. A cascade of calmness went through her body as she remembered that she wasn't in this alone. Annie was as strong as she was, and could shoulder the job.

They made brief eye contact, Annie's shy little nod suggesting she felt better with Mikasa there, too. Then they walked into the ring together, where Armin was waiting. Annie's mostly-exposed skin glowed like a fiery sun god in the light of the ring, and Mikasa's heart sped up-- due to fear or awe, she didn't know.

"Shake...hands...," Armin said with a gulp.

Their shake was warm and fierce, and they finally locked eyes. "Good luck," Mikasa said, then whispered, "and remember not to make your trips any higher than 45 degrees."

"I will, trust me," Annie said.

Mikasa nodded as they both stepped back, fists in front of their faces they prepped to 'fight.'

"5...4......3......2.....1!" Armin cried, and the crowd echoed back with a cheer.

Mikasa lunged and punched Annie's stomach, and on cue her stomach caved, barely missing the blow. She then kicked Mikasa's able. As Mikasa broke her fall and began getting up, she looked at Annie's leg. It was at a perfect 45-degree angle.

"Fucker," Mikasa aid, the crowd cried 'oooh.'

The corner of Annie's lip twitched before she sprung onto Mikasa's back, and the taller girl quickly grabbed her thin knees. She twirled around with Annie on her back, fake-panicking as the audience whooped and screamed.

Next was the big slam. Mikasa discretely moved her hands to protect Annie's back, then slammed them both onto the ground, back-first. The crowd gasped and Mikasa released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. The move was believable.

They sprung back into action s Annie pushed Mikasa off of her, rolling her over and pushing herself up on her body. Mikasa followed suit before jabbing Annie in the chest with her elbow.

Annie pushed Mikasa all the way to the edge of the ring, triggering cheers and shouts of vulgar suggestions. Mikasa pushed back and jumped into the air. Her heart jumped with her as Annie's eyes widened in awe, just before she extended her leg and kicked her in the face. Everyone gasped.

Mikasa lifted her head proudly as Annie rubbed her cheek in pain. "Got a a mathematical explanation for that sort of badassery?"

"A combination of Newton's 3rd law and moment--"

"Shut up and hit me, smartass."

No sooner had she said it then Annie sent two fierce punches straight into Mikasa's face. She felt butterflies underneath the pain--Annie had punched her full-force, just like she'd asked her to.

Next, Mikasa kicked straight into the air, and Annie caught it instantly, her foot fitting in the arch of her foot like it had in one of their first fights. This time, Annie very briefly stroked her straight leg, sending shivers up Mikasa's spine. "Beautiful," she whispered, then slammed the leg onto the ground.

Mikasa had only a millisecond to rest in Annie's sturdy arms before she threw her own arms back, allowing Annie's push to throw her to the ground.

The impact left her dazed as the shockwaves struck her body, but then the boos and cheers rushed through her ears. She sighed, her breath blowing dust storms of stress away from her in the dirty floor. The choreography had been believable. It had worked.

Her eyes closed in relief, but she quickly opened them upon hearing Armin say, "Winner!" There was Annie, arm in the air as the light and shouts poured onto her. As if the moment couldn't look any more glorious, Annie turned to look at Mikasa. Before she knew it, their palms were intertwined, and they shook hands as the crowd erupted into a unanimous cheer. Neither noticed. All of Mikasa's senses were consumed by Annie's sweaty, shimmering glory, their heavy breaths, her warm, slick palm. And as dumb as she knew it was, as much as she knew she'd be reminding herself later that she'd leave Annie sooner or later, Mikasa had never wanted to hold something so tightly.

Levi came out of seemingly nowhere and swept his arm over both of them. He led them out the door, followed by Eren, a frantic Armin, and Hanji, as they waddled in an unbelieving trance. They were awakened only as Levi slammed the door on their face.

"Good job, you two," Levi said. Annie shook his hand formally, standing tall, but when Mikasa presented him with the her hand, he took a deep breath before pulling both her and her girlfriend into a hug.

"Awwww," Mikasa heard Eren say as he wrapped his long arms around all of them. Armin lightly patted Annie and Mikasa on the back.

"Idiot," Annie said, and pulled him into the hug, too.

Their shadows turned Mikasa's world black, obliterating all thoughts of choreography and cheering crowds--yet, she wasn't scared. The touches of calloused hands and muscular arms were familiar, warm, and welcoming, and she was so comfortable she forgot to wonder if this was what home was like.

 

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

Annie could only remember the night in bits and pieces. She remembered Mikasa smiling a bit as they chatted, then a jump to sitting by herself, raising a glass of whiskey to her lips. Next thing she knew, Mikasa was back, yawning and stretching, and then they were both in a cab, driving to Annie's house.

Things became clearer after that. Her head was rested on Mikasa's shoulder in the car, and the hum of the taxi gently filled her ears.

"The audience really loved the fight," Mikasa said. The vibrations of her speech warmed and shook Annie's cheek.

"Yeah," Annie said. "Your choreography was great, and you looked great doing it."

Mikasa laughed a breathy laugh. "Oh, did you find me sexy, all sweaty and panicked?"

Annie smirked, taking the question as a challenge, like most things between them. "And what if I did?"

Mikasa paused for a short second. "I think I'd let you act on those feelings."

Before Annie knew what she was doing, her lips were on Mikasa's and moving fast. This was unlike any kiss they'd shared. Her lips couldn't get enough of Mikasa's salty-sweet tongue, and she became addicted, barely able to rip apart to breathe. No matter how close Mikasa held her, or how much she touched her hair, hands, and back, Annie's body just wanted more, more, more. 

Finally, the driver pulled up. Annie ripped herself up off of Mikasa and said, "My dad's not home.... come with me."

Mikasa hesitated, then nodded and after thrusting some cash into the front seat they both burst open the taxi door.

They ran down the dark path to Annie's house. Mikasa panted as she ran, saying, "Annie, before this, I want to tell you that a man in the audience was from a da--"

"Shhhhh," Annie hissed as she fumbled with the lock opened her door, and yanked her girlfriend inside. "Later."

She leaned in for another kiss, this time it was more gentle. Annie wrapped her arms around Mikasa's neck, and Mikasa's hands moved down to the backs of her knees, sweeping her up bridal-style. Annie clung for dear life as they ran to her room.

After Mikasa set Annie down on her soft, unmade bed, they both ripped off their tank tops and slid down their shorts. Mikasa flicked her shorts off her ankles with a pointed toe, before spinning around, her hair bouncing like Annie's heart as her private parts ached and burned with desire.

"Please, Mikasa," Annie pleaded.

And just like that, Mikasa climbed on top of her and kissed down her body, stopping to nip her neck and breasts. Annie groaned and didn't even try stop it-- this was the only way to thank Mikasa, to tell her she was beautiful, and besides, she just couldn't contain it.

Mikasa stopped thinking at Annie's stomach, and then she put their hips together and began to rock hers back and forth. Annie did the same--she had no choice, her crotch was begging for friction-- and they moved together like two isolated gears in one big machine.

The scene overwhelmed Annie. Mikasa was so beautiful, her back arched like a waterfall as her hips flowed like a river. She was so gorgeous, so ethereal, and so was this incredibly amazing, overpowering, joyous feeling. In her touch she could almost feel all of her wisdom and kindness and pain seeping into her. Their feelings were one, their minds were one, they were one, and it felt indescribably amazing. Annie's mind went blank with pleasure as she just thought, I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you. The words filled her mind and spilled out her mouth. Mikasa was too gorgeous and her touch was too fantastical, and it all became too much....

Next thing she knew, they were lying down, side-by-side, Annie's white sheets barely covering their naked breasts. They both panted, but it was hard for Annie to catch her breath when Mikaasa was stealing it with her wide, silver eyes and messy black hair.

"I love you too, Annie," she panted, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

Annie closed her eyes under her girlfriend's warm touch and sighed. "Even if I'm a smartass?"

Mikasa laughed breathily. "Because you're a smartass."


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikasa is overjoyed at the results of a mysterious audition, but it brings up troubling questions later.

For the first time in years, Mikasa wanted to cry the second she stepped into the dance studio. She hadn't seen wooden floors, wide mirrors and a long, sturdy barre in so long, and felt a near-uncontrollable urge to hug all of it and pretend she was seven again and so, so innocent and that Mommy was coming to pick her up in an hour.

Reeves didn't allow it. "Come on, I don't have all day," he said. He sat down on a folding chair against the barre. It squeaked.

Nodding, Mikasa took off her ratty sneakers to reveal her bare feet. She walked, subconsciously on relevé, to the center of the studio. She linked her hands behind her back and stood in first position.

"No ballet shoes?" Reeves asked, picking up a clipboard.

"No." Mikasa realized that sounded disrespectful, and added, "Sorry."

He simply nodded, looking at the clipboard. They stood in complete silence for what seemed like an hour, the only sound being her fast-beating heart.

Finally, Reeves looked up from his clipboard, smiling, and said, "So where's that little blonde you worked with last week? Late?"

Butterflies erupted in Mikasa's stomach. Had he wanted Annie, too? Was she part of the deal? "No, she's not coming today. She's being interviewed for a scholarship at Marley university." Reeves tilted his head in confusion, and she added, "She's not a dancer."

"Ah. I was going to say, Marley's dance department is dismal..." He looked back to his clipboard for a moment, then said, "What is she, then?"

"She wants to be an inventor."

Reeves smiled a smile too wide for even his massive face. "Coooool. More women would succeed in STEM if they were all as pretty as her."

MIkasa pursed her lips as her stomach lurched in disgust, but forced herself to nod.

"Well! Let's get started. Do demi pliés is all four positions, and then two tondues en croix in fifth. Got it?"

MIkasa nodded and perfected her first position. She waited as Reeves picked up his iPhone and began playing a slow, classical piano song. She pliéd on the first beat, her thighs aching from her extremely forceful turnout. 

Once Mikasa got into full dance mode, she hardly felt nervous anymore. She found her body going above and beyond. As was usual for her now, she enjoyed her jumps and attitudes and turns to no end, and Reeves was smiling, too. She understood when she looked in the mirror-- she looked, actually, perfect, from her winged toes to her perfectly relaxed arms.

After a petite soité combination that was exhausting only because of the difficulty of the previous combinations, Reeves said, "That's all I want to see."

Mikasa sighed heavily in relief, and he chuckled a bit. "Sorry," he said. "I wouldn't even've had you audition if it weren't for your muscles. At the fight at Kenny's, I figured your muscles were all from fighting, but I wanted to check that it wasn't from improper form. Otherwise I would've given you the scholarship right then and there!"

"Do I have the scholarship?"

"Yeah! As long as you promise to take the choreography course, you'll get the scholarship, in, uh, when's your GED test?"

"Two weeks from now."

'Then in two weeks, the money will be yours." 

Mikasa smiled a bit. She would've jumped all over him and squealed, but her pride, the realization she'd have to leave the studio soon, and his previous comment about Annie combined reminded her to remain calm. "Thank you, sir," she said, head held high. "I promise I won't let you down."

/ / / / / / / / / / / 

It bothered Mikasa that things were so normal at Kenny's Fight Klub. How were people so clam when she was fighting not to smile? How were people not ecstatic that she was finally going back to school? It all seemed unreal.

Things only seemed right when the door burst open. The whole bar looked and saw Annie in the door, grinning from ear to ear. She dashed into Mikasa's arms, and they held each other tight, releasing their excitement into the embrace."

They finally broke apart when they ran out of energy. They stared at each other with wide eyes and smiles-- small, calm smiles, but smiles all the same.

"I'm assuming things went well?" Mikasa said.

Annie nodded and Mikasa noticed she was panting. Bless her, she must've run here. "I got an almost-full scholarship, and I can pay for the rest myself."

"That's really great, Annie."

"You don't even know. I'm finally free from my dad, from the fights. I can just be myself and not have to work around all this bullshit."

Mikasa nodded and turned back towards the bar, taking a sip from her long-forgotten water bottle. "So, not to rain on your parade, but I need to tell you something. I tried to tell you last week, but we got distracted."

"Ha, yeah. Go ahead."

"Well, a man in the audience at our fight was from Sina Conservatory, and he asked me if I'd choreographed the fight. I told him yes, and he said that if I wanted to take the choreography course at Sina he'd watch me dance next week and he may give me a scholarship. I danced for him today and he gave me the scholarship."

"Wow. Uh, cool." Annie said. Her eyebrows were lifted in shock.

They sat in a silence that Mikasa desperately wanted to break, but was afraid to hear Annie still sounding disappointed. Why wasn't she happy for her?

"So," Annie said, breaking the silence. "Sina Conservatory's in New York State too, but pretty far from Marley."

"Yeah."

"Couldn't you... couldn't you just come to Marley with me? I've heard their dance department's superb and all that."

"I've heard it's awful."

Annie looked away. "I'm just asking cause I don't want you to be all alone, without Levi's help or anything. Plus, not to sound sappy, but what will it mean for us?"

Mikasa shrugged. "I've been taking care of myself for years, and it'll be easy with the scholarship money. As for us.... can't we just wait till the end of the summer? I want to be with you and everyone here for as long as I can."

Annie sighed heavily, as if she was trying to push all the worries away with her breath. "Okay. Till summer."

They interlocked their fingers under the bar. Its as gentle and loose, but at least it kept them together, for now.


	16. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the end of the summer, Annie comes to Mikasa to talk. Mikasa feels fear.

The summer was like a movie, something Mikasa couldn't quite believe was happening, and seemed to watch from afar. She saw herself spraying Annie with Levi's detachable faucet, the two of them drinking and talking with Levi, her and Annie together in bed on a hot night, and herself dancing in the hot sun, like it was a montage in a movie. And yet, the feeling of cold water on skin, the taste of cold cider, the warm, smooth insides of Annie's thighs, and the sweat that rolled down her back when she did her summer street-dancing felt more real than anything ever had.

The half-daydream-y feeling was with Mikasa one evening, in her alleyway. She was dancing and couldn't feel her own movements, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from jumping, kicking and, turning with no particular purpose or organization. She was only awakened from the haze when she did three fuetes, only to suddenly halt herself when she saw her toe nearly kick Annie's nose. Mikasa slammed her foot down as her girlfriend stumbled back.

"Nice greeting," she said, staring at Mikasa's foot.

Mikasa rolled her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Annie said. She walked over to Mikasa's box-bed, and sat on it. The boxes crumbled beneath her. "Just thought we could, um, talk."

"About what?" Mikasa said, not looking at Annie as she absent-mindedly moved her foot in half-circles.

"Well, summer's almost over."

Mikasa stopped moving suddenly, halting her foot at the side. "We have four more weeks."

"Yeah, well, my bus comes in two."

"Oh. So I guess we're 'talking' about us."

Annie nodded.

They were both silent for what felt like hours. Mikasa resumed her absent-minded dancing, this time doing little jumps. Annie watched her, somewhat distracted, until she realized that her girlfriend had not intention of speaking. 

"Can't you come to Marley University with me?" she said, breaking the silence. "I'm sure your scholarship would carry out over there, and we could stay together."

Mikasa shook her head. "I'm sorry, Annie, but the dance videos you've shown me from there are good, but they're nothing compared to Shina. Dance is all I have."

"That's not true. You have the fight club, and Levi, and me."

Mikasa rubbed her temples. "You don't understand. I've run away from everything in my life except dance. I've given up everything for it, and who will I be if I give it up now?"

Annie crossed her arms. "It's a lot harder to stay with people than with things."

"Annie.... can't we still stay together? I have a phone now. We can call and Skype."

"Do you know how hard it is for me to date, just right now? How terrifying and difficult it is?"

"We both feel that way, Annie."

"Then do you really think we'll be able to....you know.... love each other, when we're across the state?"

Mikasa was silent yet again. Annie was not. "You have a choice, Mikasa. Sina-- where there's spectacular dance, but only dance-- or Marley, where there's good dance, and me.... which I think you care about."

There was a long pause. Annie could feel her heart, eyes and whole body pulse towards Mikasa, anticipating the answer.

"Well, this wasn't going to last forever."

The words rung through Annie's head several times before she understood them. When she did, they shot through her head like a bullet, sending ripples of anger, heartbreak and confusion through her body until her balled-up fists began to shake.

"Annie? You okay?"

Annie balled her iciest voiced, laced with poison and hate, said, "No. I see what's going on. You won't come to Marley with me cause you're a fucking coward."

"You're calling me a coward." Annie couldn't look at her, but she still sounded so calm, so gentle, so warm. She hated it.

"Yeah, you bet your ass I'm calling you a coward. All you know how to do is run, you pathetic bitch. You ran from your home, your jobs, your friends, and now you're gonna run from me, too. I give it seven months before you run from that college."

In rage, Annie whipped her head over to look at Mikasa. She was scowling, and with no warning, she began walking past Annie, scooping up her brown blanket and the stack of cash on top of it. Annie stormed after her. "So you're just gonna run away, huh? Like the coward you are. Good. Leave without saying goodbye. I bet you're scared of bye-bye's too, aren't you, Ackerman?"

Mikasa paid no attention, and Annie didn't care. She cursed and slowly her cold voice raised into a shout from the edge of the alley until Mikasa turned a corner, disappearing from sight.

Everything changed in an instant. Annie went quiet. Noises like footsteps and car horns were too loud. The ally became grungy, dark, and humongous, like a wet cave. It was a wonder she ever found it comfortable.

More than anything, Annie felt herself shrink to the size of an atom. Everything about her dwarfed in comparison to the huge ugly world she was going to face, now alone. And as much as Annie hated college at the moment, feared it, and wanted it to disappear, she knew she wold need it to build those permanent stilts. She needed them more than ever now that Mikasa was gone.

Gone. The word made her shiver and want to jump away, it was impossible yet cold and real in a very cruel way. Annie wanted to run, to chase after Mikasa or to find solace in her blankets, but she found her feet were grounded in the once-beautiful atom.


	17. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie's college experience appears to be much less than what she expected. In particular, her roommate fails to meet her standards, especially when compared to Mikasa.

Annie couldn't believe she'd once looked forward to college. The campus, though huge and objectively beautiful, was chaotic and overfilled with so-called 'adults' that were feckless braindead from uncontrolled alcohol and pot.

Perhaps, though, the worst thing was the fact that her sly, slacking roommate was constantly throwing parties. It disturbed her attempts at math, the thumping music interrupting any brainpower needed to divide or solve. Worse, though, was the grinding asses , the boys, who were all either drunk beyond imagination or pretending to be, whooping and gracelessly thrusting their crutches. As disgusting as it all was, Annie sometimes saw them and secretly craved the friction, a warm body to make her feel less alone, more alive.

It wasn't like she was really trying to 'get a new gal pal,' as Hitch, her roommate, put it. Or make any sort of bonds at all. She wanted company, but she actively refused any chances at it. She threw away any chance at making friends during her 3rd mechanical design class, when the teacher said they could work alone or in pairs for their simple inventions.

Instantly, most of the class turned to Annie.

"Hey Annie, we should partner!" a stout, curly-haired man she only vaguely recognized said, twisting to face her from his desk in the front.

"Do you really wanna partner with him?" Marlo, the boy across from her, said. He sounded almost sad. "We're the smartest kids in class. We could do something great...."

"Are you saying I'm not smart, bowlcut?" Front Desk Boy said, aggressively pushing his chair towards Marlowe.

As they began to bicker (or, really, as Front Desk Boy shouted at Marlowe), Hitch leaned in from her desk to Annie's. "You seem to have your pick of partners," she whispered. "Although, no pressure, but it would make things easier on me if we partnered."

"I'm going to work alone," Annie announced, a bit louder than she wanted to.

The class grew a bit quieter and almost everyone turned to look at her. Annie felt her body growing heated.

"I have my own plans," she said, which was a lie. She had no idea what to do for this project, but she sure as hell didn't want anyone telling her what to do. "Plus, you're all idiots."

Front Desk Boy wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes. He walked over to the desk of a girl in a ponytail who he spoke to familiarly. Hitch and Marlowe soon did the same.

Annie suddenly felt very alone, and although she didn't show it, a bit embarrassed. She tried to push away the feelings by digging into her notebook. She hadn't lost invention, at least.

 

/ / / / / / / /

No matter what Annie did, the sketch looked wrong. She tried changing everything-- the shape, the height, the material-- but it still looked stupid. Maybe it was because of the simplistic style. After all, the permanent stilts she'd been dreaming of her whole life looked like little more than a wedge. Or maybe it was the idea all together, because it had been dreamed up at age 8 and was so childish, so pointless. Or maybe it was the thousands of eraser marks.

Annie brushed off the eraser's byproducts, pink little shreds clinging to the worksheet, and soon found herself becoming as floppy as the eraser shreds. She couldn't help but slide down until her head rested on the pillow. It was cold and thin and she could feel her stiff mattress underneath it. It was uncomfortable, but Annie was so tired she was tempted to close her eyes and sleep there anyway.

Just 15 seconds of sleep, she thought with a sigh, closing her eyes. They burned and stung. That's all I need.

1....

2....

3....

FIGHT! was her first, impulsive thought as she was awoken to the sound of a slamming door. Annie pushed herself up slowly and glanced at the time-- 12:03 a.m. She'd been asleep for nearly an hour. 

Her binder seemed to weight a thousand tons as she dragged it onto her lap. She looked at the worksheet on top of it, and, if anything, the design looked more dead than before.

With a defeated, depressed sigh, Annie's mind admitted to itself that she wished Mikasa were there. She would let her rest in her firm, yet soft, arms, and would give her some advice about the design that was so clear yet so ingenious. God knew Annie needed it. And yet, all she had was a rock-hard bed and her brain's confusion. What was worse was that Mikasa was probably off dancing perfectly, not a care in the world as she found other girls to love and leave. All Annie had was Hitch.

Speaking of the devil, Annie suddenly became aware of footsteps in the kitchen accompanied by creaking cupboard doors. Hitch was awake. She contemplated asking Hitch for advice, but decided that she would just make jokes and then fall asleep on Annie's bed. Besides, she was nowhere near Mikasa's cleverness. She wouldn't be much help, anyway.

 

/ / / / / / / / / 

 

Hitch made Annie realize how much she hated small talk. She'd never really had much of it, considering that most people were too scared of her to make conversation, but she'd always thought it would be nice.

It wasn't.

Annie made occasional grunts and hums as she poured her cereal. She had no idea what Hitch was talking about. She just knew that the snide girl was talking on and on, only pausing when Annie grunted or when her mouth was full of cereal. Annie hated the fact that she'd gone from talking to Mikasa about dreams, philosophy, and their pasts, to whatever the hell Hitch was talking about.

Managing to focus her mind for a minute, Annie began the difficult task of putting the cereal back. The step-stool had been MIA since Hitch's last party, so when Annie opened the cupboard and she stood on her tiptoes, extending her fingers as much as she could. Despite her stretching and desperate reaching, the cereal barely tapped its spot on the top shelf.

"I'd help you, but I doubt I could reach myself," Hitch said. Annie turned around to see her with a small smirk.

Annie sighed and came down from her toes. "Yeah," she said, setting the cereal box on the counter in defeat. She walked back and sat down at the table, taking a bite of her Cheerios. Completely bland. 

"You know," Hitch said, spooning cereal into her mouth. "Wouldn't it be cool to have spring-shoes? Like, that you could jump with? We could jump to the top shelf."

"That's a good idea," Annie said, only partially because she wanted to humor Hitch. Of course, she knew that it wouldn't make them jump much higher, and jumping wasn't the best idea for putting things away, but it was at least a nice thought. Not too different from her stilts.

Then it hit her. "Actually, that's a really good idea," Annie said. "I should.... the springs would increase movement and flexibility....uh, I need to go work on my stilts."

"Wait, really? Give me credit! It could increase my grade, my project sucks!"

Annie nodded as she scooped up her cereal and speed-walked to her room. Hitch isn't as interesting as Mikasa, she thought, but at least she had good ideas.

/ / / / / / / / /

Annie gazed at her creation, brushing away the eraser bits yet again. It depicted two springs under a thick sole, meant to be size 2 (her size) and about one foot tall when she realized the springs. She looked at it and sighed, leaning back. This was the picture of the stilts she'd wanted for so long. Tears stung, partially due to relief and partially due to so badly wanting to share this with Mikasa, but didn't come.

The door swung open and Annie jumped up, slowly relaxing as she saw it was Hitch, arms wrapped around some tall, pasty blonde guy's neck.

"Hey, Annie?" she said. "Could you leave for a bit so Peter--" She rubbed her hand over his chest. Annie cringed. "--and I can have a bit of fun?"

"You have your own room," Annie said.

It took Hitch a moment to respond as she was whispering something in Peter's ear. His eyes widened in delight and she grinned, then looked away. "Oh, uh, it's occupied."

Annie looked at her finished design. It wasn't like she had anything to do. "Alright."

"Thanks," Hitch said, not looking at her. Annie rolled her eyes and slid past Peter's ass as she left the room. 

Annie took one last look at the pair before making her way to the kitchen. Peter's eyes and smile were so huge, so greedy as Hitch pulled him inky the collar. She wondered, for a moment, if she'd looked at Mikasa like that, the night they had sex. She wondered if Hitch's hips would roll like a waterfall, if her moans would also sound like like song.....

Abruptly, Annie began to push her way through the grinders dancing to Hitch's thumping music. As she moved to the kitchen, she decided never to compare Hitch to Mikasa again. It wasn't Hitch's fail that she was sarcastic, not smart. It wasn't her fault that she was annoying and not supportive, boring rather than entrancing, hot instead of beautiful, and no help to Annie. The two were just incomparable.

Besides, she's better in one aspect, Annie thought. She leaned her cheek against one palm and sighed. She's still here.


	18. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a fight and an injury, Annie tries to replace Mikasa.

"Please take out your designs," Professor Zeke said. Annie opened her binder. It slapped against her desk and she heard the sound of several papers-including her own- sliding out of sleeves.

The professor went to Front Desk Boy first, and he passed around, taking the design sheets as he went. Annie's eyes glanced away from her desk as Professor Zeke took the sheet and placed it into a pile. She got a glimpse of her 'stilts,' and then, just like that, they were gone, just a design among dozens.

"Now, I mentioned this briefly las class, but this is really a competition," Professor Zeke said. "I will pick the 3 designs I like the best, and they will be 3D printed- or built- to full functionality."

Talking erupted among the students.

"Oh, I'm definitely not winning this."

"Do you think he'd print my three-use dildo?"

"I really want to win."

Annie did not engage, but sat and thought of her stilts. The idea of wearing the stilts she'd dreamed of since her childhood, the very idea she'd been mocked for becomng real.. it didn't seem like it could really happen. Not that anything seemed real to Annie those days.

"I should have the results by Friday, next Monday, at the latest...." Three days. Seemed like too long to wait. "...and, yeah! Please get out your text books and go to page 134."

Annie did not see or feel herself grab her textbook from her backpack. She was still thinking about those stilts. Perhaps she'd be tall enough to put away the cereal, be taken seriously, and kiss Mikasa without standing on her toes. 

She shook her head a little. Not like that would ever happen.

/ / / / / / / 

All was quiet and tranquil on the grounds, and yet Annie could find no peace. She stared at her math worksheet in her lap but she could not bring her pencil to paper. She didn't want to. The problems were so hard and there were so many, and just looking at them made Annie tired. She just wanted to go home and lie down, and that was Mikasa's fault because she'd made her so depressed, and for that she wanted to scream. Annie gripped her pencil and stared at it. She thought of Mikasa's name again and it snapped.

"I'm _probably_ going to get printed," a distance voice said. Annie looked up from her (still empty) worksheet, grateful for a distraction, and saw a tall, buff boy surrounded by a group of other men a few meters away. Front Desk Boy was among them, but he suddenly seemed short compared to his friends. He was also dwarfed by the many bags and books he carried, more than could possibly be his. Annie then noticed that most of the other boys were not carrying supplies.

"Well, I guess it depends on the other designs," another boy said. He was tall, but slouching.

"Pssht. RIght. Those kids are all brain, no ideas," Buff Boy said. The other boys laughed like that was clever or funny in any way.

They were getting closer now. Annie woundered if they would see her, or talk to her. She hadn't had a decent conversation in weeks-- although, as she watched the boys elbow each other and roar with screaming laughs, she doubted that 'decent' would be the way to describe a conversation with any of them.

As they passed by, Front Desk Boy glanced towards the bench. It wasn't until Annie locked eyes with him that she realized she'd been staring. She quickly looked at the green gras a few feet away.

"Hey, Annie, aren't you in Zeke's class?" Front Desk Boy asked. The other boys stopped walking and looked at her.

Suddenly, she wanted to rip Front Desk Boy to shreds for his stupidity. she wanted to claw at his neck like an animal, punch him like she'd punched fucking Mikasa. As a poor excuse for a release, she dramatically rolled her eyes. "I'm in _your class_ , idiot."

"Wait, what'd you design? For the competition?" Buff Boy asked. He'd been looking into the distance before but suddenly seemed interested.

"Stilts," Annie said. She regretted saying it as soon as she did, because the boys exchanged smirks and what's-wrong-with-this-chick glances, but that didn't stop her. "Permanent stilts."

Buff Boy snorted and grinned. "Why? Cuz you're so short."

God, she was tired of hearing that. She was tired of boys. She was tired of all this shit, she wanted to beat it to a pulp and walk away from it. "At least I'm not as short as your dick."

The other boys laughed and whooped. Buff Boy was not so amused. "Well, this _dick_ -" He pointed to his crotch and thrusted it forwards. Gross. "Is useful. Unlike your stupid little stilts."

"All your dick is useful for is _exercising your right hand_." Annie pushed herself up fro her bench and walked until she was just inches away from Buff Boy. When she looked up, she saw his chin pimples and wanted to pop them, make them explode. "And what's your genius idea, Small Dick?"

"A handle for soda cans," Buff Boy said with pride.

Annie forced a few laughs, making Buff Boy scowl. " _That's_ stupid," she said. She wanted her words to sting. She wanted him to hurt. "I can't believe you called my invention stupid when you came up with that stoner-frat-boy shit."

Buff Boy peered down at Annie. "I'd pulverize you if you weren't such a pipsqueak. " A smirk slowly grew on his face. "Maybe if you get your wittew stiwts, I'll let you fight a big boy!"

All inhibition was lost as Annie slugged Buff Boy across the face, knocking him onto the ground. His friends screamed as he groaned, and Annie screamed at them as they ran off. "You better run! Dickheads!"

She turned her back to Buff Boy and pursed her lips as she kicked his pimply chin. Her flip-flop flew off upon impact, but Annie did not care. She raised a foot, ready to stomp his face in, when Buff Boy shrieked and frantically grabbed a stray stick beside him. 

Next thing Annie knew, her foot was in excruciating pain in the center. She hissed and clenched her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut. When she peered one open, she saw blood leaking from the arch of her foot, spraying everywhere and onto a stick. She'd been stabbed.

Everything went black.

/ / / / / / / / 

"You'll be fine," the nurse said. He sprayed something onto Annie's foot, making it sting. She curled her toes and fought a wince-- it was humiliating enough to be hurt in this way, she couldn't show more vulnerability. "It's somewhat infected, but if you just stay off that part of your foot for awhile and don't let it get too much air, you know, all that, it'll get clean in no time."

Annie nodded gently, her messy hair rubbing against the pillow as her head moved. "Now, let me grab some bandages..." Nurse Marcel Said. He dropped her foot and opened the curtains, then disappeared into the rest of the office. Annie watched him go, then slammed her head back into the pillow.

Her thoughts were of Hitch, again. She'd been lying in that bed for at least two hours, so it was 7:00 p.m. by then. She wondered if Hitch knew where she was. She doubted it, and she wasn't sure if that were a good or bad thing. If Hitch knew, she'd mock her about the fight. If she didn't, she'd yell at Annie for not coming to the dorm and helping her study.

_Damn_ , Annie thought. _Hitch is a lot like my dad._

She instantly decided that the thought was unfair. Hitch only degraded her jokingly, and while Annie found herself shaking her pencil with anxiety if she tried to do homework before exercising, Hitch was too lazy to force her to train all the time, Annie did it on her own. And Hitch was too weak to smack her.

"Okay, once I wrap this you'll be out of here," Nurse Marcel said, waking Annie from her thoughts as he opened and shut the curtains. He pressed a gauze pad against her cut and Annie clenched her foot in pain. "Ooooh yeah, you definitely can't be putting pressure on _that,"_ he said.

The nurse then latched a white cloth to the pad and began wrapping it around her foot. More pain was added to the arch of Annie's foot as each twist squeezed it, but she clenched her teeth and beared it. 

"You're lucky James Marshall isn't telling the school," Nurse Marcel said. Another wrap squeezed Annie's arch, and for a moment she thought of how curved and perfect the arch of Mikasa's foot was. She shook the thought away. "You'd both be in giant trouble, but you more, seeing as your started it."

Annie did not respond, but stored blankly at the plain-white, smooth ceiling. She was still trying to get Mikasa out of her head.

Marcel chuckled a little. "Wow, nothing phases you, huh? Not the pain, not the trouble. Someone must've made you strong while you were little."

Annie almost said 'my dad,' but attributing anything good to her dad made her angry, so she said, "I did. Just me."

"Nice," Marcel said. The twists stopped, and Annie heard a _clip!_ "There! Let me grab some crutches, and you'll be ready to go." He set her (suddenly heavy) foot against the stiff bed, and opened the blue curtains surrounding her. He froze there for a minute and then turned back towards Annie. 

"You know, my brother Galliard told me about your invention," he said.

"I don't know a Galliard."

"The boy who brought you here. You know, pushed-back undercut? Average height? He said he was in your class."

_Front desk boy,_ Annie thought, nearly saying it aloud. "Oh. I know him, I guess."

"Well, anyway, he told me about your invention, and I just now thought, wouldn't that be a great way to keep your arch off the ground?"

"Hmm, " Annie said. It was true-- hypothetically, the springs would elevate her foot so the arch was left untouched-- but she'd have to get Professor Zeke to approve and build it.

Marcel's face had fallen, he seemed disappointed that she wasn't more excited about his idea. She was excited, actually, and wanted to tell him that, but she rarely had the energy to show that sort of emotion anymore. "Well, I suppose you'll need crutches in the meantime," Marcel said. She nodded and looked back up at the ceiling. She heard metal scrape as the curtains opened and shut.

/ / / / / / / /

Annie gently slipped her right foot into the elastic, and once she felt her metatarsals touch the front spring, she hesitantly relaxed it. To her relief, the arch of her foot was not touched. Her wound felt nothing. Professor Zeke would be happy to hear that he hadn't 3D-printed these for nothing.

Sitting on her bed, Annie pulled on some newly-bought, much-too-big combat boots over the stilts. Even then, they were a loose fit, but Annie couldn't care less.  
She slidd of of her bed and stood up, then began to slowly, awkwardly lumber over to the mirror. It was hard just to pick her feet up, but she supposed she'd get used to it. She needed the exercise anyway.

_No I don't,_ Annie retored immediately. _Stop thinking like dad. You've been doing it a lot lately._

Finally, Annie reached the mirror.

She was taller, _much_ taller. As tall as Reiner, even. And in the combat boots, she looked badass. She wished Mikasa could see her now-- strong, tall perfectly self-sufficient. She hoped she'd be angry when she saw that Annie no longer needed her.

(That was a lie, but it made Annie feel better.)

"Damn," a voice said. Annie turned around and saw Hitch, arms crossed, leaning against the doorway. "Don't you look terrifying."

"I know," Annie said. She forced a confident smirk, but removed it upon seeing it in the mirror. She looked like Conny from the fight club.

"You should go find that kid. You know, James Marshall. I'd love to see you smash his face in with those boots."

"Yeah, definitely."

"I'd help you-- I'd _love_ to slug the motherfucker-- but I uh...haha... don't feel like it, ya' know?"

Annie nodded, but mostly looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't believe how tall she was. She felt like conquering worlds.

"Oh, hey, a new girl just transferred here from one of the sister colleges, like, just today. A friend in the dance department told me about her. She's Asian, muscular, and a dancer. Sounds alot like your Mikasa."

The word hit Annie's heart hard, so she stared at her reflection harder, though she saw very little. She was surprised by how much her heart felt longing when Mikasa's muscular image in a sports bra, dancing in the fight ring, popped into her head. It was gorgeous and she wanted it, dear god.

"You just described half the dance department," Annie said, trying to play it cool.

"I'm just saying. If she's into chicks, than she could be, I dunno, Mikasa 2.0."

"That's stupid," Annie said too quickly. If anything these stilts were 'Mikasa 2.0.' They supported her, made her feel stronger and taller, and stayed away from injuries. And better than Mikasa, the stilts were strapped on.

Annie looked back at the mirror, and suddenly, her new height just seemed like....new height. It was 4 extra inches, it wasn't anything special. What was worse was that now Hitch had reminded her of Mikasa, and it seemed to be all her brain would think of.

Maybe a pretty-dancer-distraction wasn't such a bad idea.


End file.
